Total Drama Strandarama
by agreenparrot
Summary: Twenty new contestants compete on an island. They have to make their own shelter and find their own food, as well as compete in challenges and keep themselves safe from elimination. Weirdos, strategists, and some who are both are all competing in this contest.
1. The New Blood: Part 1

_Author's Note: Hi, everyone, I am indeed starting a new series. This series will be a followup to Total Drama Stranded, however, it's mostly just in format only. If you haven't read TDS, don't worry, aside from a few references here and there, you shouldn't be missing much._

_And I'd like to say, for those of you who are currently reading Switcheroo, I am really sorry for writing this instead. I know that Switcheroo is only a few chapters away from finishing, but I hit a snag on the last chapter and haven't been able to write all week. I needed to write something, though, or else I'll go crazy from all these ideas rolling around in my head, so I decided to get a jumpstart on another series. I promise you, though, I will try to finish Switcheroo as soon as possible. I don't plan on continuing past the first episode of this series until after I finish it._

Chris McClean stood on a sandy beach in front of a wild island. He had a very eager grin on his face as the camera zoomed in on him.

"Welcome, valued viewers!" he exclaimed while throwing his arms into the air dramatically. "Welcome dedicated fans and newcomers both! You're at the right place because you're just in time for the launch of another season of the highly successful Total Drama."

Chris walked along the beach until he came to a dock.

"Last season was Total Drama Stranded," he explained. "And let me tell you, it was filled to the brim with colourful personalities. We had a prophetess who was more interested in winning fortunes than telling them, a kid who wore a mask at all times, a gymnast who decided to keep her skills hidden…much to her regret, and a guy who couldn't be bothered to even get up in the morning, along with many more. It was truly a fierce battle, and in the end we were left with a controversial winner. But that was last season, and this season is going to be bigger and better. Twenty new contestants will be split into two teams."

Chris walked further along the dock until he was looking out at the lake.

"They'll have to play by the same rules of Total Drama Stranded," he continued, "meaning they'll have to rely only on what nature provides them. They'll build their own shelters and forage for their own food. And of course, each team to lose immunity will have to vote someone off, right up to we have just one winner remaining."

Chris turned to face the camera again and his grin broadened.

"This," he exclaimed, "is Total…Drama…Strandarama!"

A fanfare was played from the background as Chris once again threw his hands in the air.

"Our campers have already been split up into two teams and are arriving as we speak," Chris said. "Let's take a look at them now…"

The camera lifted up into the sky. Then descended down into the middle of the lake where two large boats were coming in. Both boats had several teens moving about excitedly. On one boat a girl with a fancy pink dress, pink sunhat, and pink parasol was looking out towards the island. She had smooth blond hair and clear blue eyes.

"Oh my, this is so exciting," she squealed to herself. "I can barely contain myself."

"Looking forward to getting started?" a girl said from behind her.

This girl had dark skin and golden hair. She wore a maroon, strapless dress and a blue pearl necklace.

"I'm thrilled," the girl in pink responded. "I haven't done anything this big since…ever!"

"I'm Karly, by the way," the girl in maroon said.

"Portia," the blond replied. "It's nice to meet you, Karly."

"The same goes to you, Portia," Karly said with a smile. "Although…"

"Yes?" Portia asked innocently.

"Well, I'm just wondering if you know what you're up against here," Karly said with concern. "This game is known to be get very intense, both emotionally and physically. You seem like a sweet girl, I thought I just ought to warn you."

"I appreciate it, but I'm not backing down now," Portia said. "My daddy told me that he doesn't want me riding off his money all my life, he said I needed to go out and do something for myself. And I saw the ad for this show and just thought how perfect it would be."

"I see," Karly replied. "Well, I think we should stick together. It's going to be tough but—"

"Hold it, hold it!" a third girl exclaimed as she marched over to them. "I couldn't help but overhear something ridiculous and idiotic."

This girl was thin and had a gaunt face. She had raven-black hair down up in a pair of buns. She wore an all grey tank-top and shorts.

"Um, excuse me, I wasn't talking to you," Portia said softly.

"Let me get this straight," the girl said, ignoring Portia. "You're telling me that your father is already rich, and you're still think you deserve the money more than anyone else here?"

"Well, I," Portia tried to explain.

"And to top off that, you clearly have no physical strength to bring to your team," the girl continued to rant. "I mean, look at how you're dressed, you think you're ready for the harsh wilderness?!"

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Karly demanded.

"Mel," the girl declared bluntly. "And you'd better not forget it. I'm the girl who actually has some sense so if you're going to stick with anyone, I suggest you stick with me."

"Well, Mel," Karly said the name icily, "I had to prefer spending my time with people who are a little more bearable. So, I thank you if you'd just leave us alone…"

"Yeah, well too bad," Mel replied. "Don't expect me to back down just because you asked nicely. I know I'm right, and if you too use your heads, you'll see it too."

From a short distance way, a boy was watching to girls and chuckling to himself. This boy had black hair mostly covered by a black bandana with a skull on it. He wore a grey undershirt and goldenrod pants.

"What's so funny?" another boy, standing next to him asked.

This boy had light brown skin, black hair, and a headband with a feather sticking out of it. He had on a green sleeveless shirt and orange shorts.

"We haven't even reached the island yet and these girls are fighting," the first boy answered. "Something tells me that this will be a fun summer."

"If you say so," the boy in green replied. "I'm personally hoping this summer will bring up some paranormal activity."

"Huh?" the first boy asked.

"Austin's the name and ghosts are my game!" the second boy announced proudly. "How about you?"

"Marion," he replied. "And the only game I'm focused on is the one we're headed for right now."

"Heyheyhey outta the way!" someone exclaimed from behind them.

A shorter boy was running along the deck, but slipped on the water. He was headed right for Marion and Austin.

"Oof!" they all exclaimed as they collided.

"Woops, sorry about that," the new boy exclaimed as he got up. "Guess I was just getting a little excited, I tend to get excited when exciting things happen, like going to an island and meeting new people and playing challenges and winning prizes and—I'm Teddy!"

Teddy had a red baseball cap on backwards over his brown hair. He wore an orange shirt under a green vest, as well as indigo shorts.

"Uh…it's nice to meet you, Teddy," Marion said.

"I'm Austin and this is Marion," Austin introduced.

"Wow, it's so super nicely awesome to meet you!" Teddy exclaimed energetically. "This is so cool, I'm meeting my first true competitors and or teammates. Wow oh wow, I can't believe this is happening. Epic!"

Up on the higher level, a Latino girl was looking down at everyone disdainfully. She had flowing black hair that ran down her back. She wore very little, only a matching gold top and shorts that barely covered any of her skin.

"What a bunch of morons," she scoffed to herself as she filed her nails. "I will dispose of them easily."

"Don't think I didn't hear that!" someone exclaimed from behind her.

She turned around with a bored look on her face and saw a boy with fluffy blond hair, glasses, and a blue sweater, shirt and pants.

"I'm onto you," he said sternly as he eyed the girl.

"What?" the girl said bluntly.

"I heard your little, 'morons' comment," the boy said as he jabbed a finger at her. "I know your type; there's always one like you. A villain!"

He said the word with extreme force and threw in another jab of his finger.

"Fascinating," the girl said with the same bored tone. "Now would you mind—"

"I know what you're thinking, oh yes I do," the boy continued. "Villains always get far in Total Drama, it's just the way things work, right? Wrong! This time things will be done differently. This time JUSTICE is on the island with you. And JUSTICE has a new name…and it's Linus!"

"I don't care," the girl rolled her eyes while turning away from the boy.

"At least give me the respect of knowing the name of my nemesis," the boy said.

"It's Brienne," the girl declared. "But don't worry about remembering it, I'll make sure that you're gone first."

"Aha, that's what you think, but you're wrong…Wrong!" Linus continued to shout. "You can't keep fighting JUSTICE forever! Sooner or later it will prevail!"

Back on the lower level, Teddy was still eagerly exploring the boat.

"Hey, what's this…what's this thing…whatdaya think this does?" he exclaimed with hyper speed as he investigated whatever he could get his hands on.

He grabbed a life-preserver and exclaimed, "Hey, hey, go long!"

With a firm toss the ring soared over both boys. It arced down past the girls and slammed right into a small boy standing next to the edge. He turned around just in time to be smacked in the face and knocked into the water.

"Help, help!" he exclaimed as he flailed in the lake frantically. "I can't swim!"

"Aheh, oops," Teddy said sheepishly.

"Oh no, that poor boy!" Portia cried nervously.

"What are you talking about? The life-preserver's right there!" Mel exclaimed. "Just grab it."

"I can't!" the boy in the water shouted. "I can barely stay afloat as it is!"

"Help is on the way!" Another girl exclaimed.

This girl was somewhat portly, had a full head of brown hair that went to her shoulders, and wore a blue jacket, a green shirt, and navy shorts. Skillfully she leapt into the water and grabbed onto the boy. She helped him up and pulled both of them back onto the boat. The small boy was coughing and spluttering with water.

"You alright, hon?" the girl asked.

"Yeah…I think so," the boy replied.

This boy had reddish brown hair that seemed to droop downward. He wore glasses, a red shirt and, brown shorts.

"The name's Sandy, by the way," the girl said as she held out her hand.

"I'm Randall," the boy said after coughing up some more water.

"That was so heroic of you!" Portia exclaimed.

"Yes, quite impressive of you to take the lead like that," Karly added.

"Just happy to help," Sandy replied. "I just hope Randall hear is gonna be alright."

"I'm used to this kind of thing," Randall replied. "I have no skills and fail at almost everything I try. It's not like this is going to be any different."

"Don't say that," Portia said. "Could have just as much chance as anyone else."

"Pinky here is right, you just gotta keep your chin up," Sandy added.

"Um, excuse me!?" Mel scoffed as she barged through the crowd. "No, wrong. Did you not hear what he said?"

"Mel," Karly sighed, "no one asked for your—"

"He can't swim!" Mel continued. "And he doesn't look like he's got much muscle either. Don't give him false hopes about winning this game, it's not gonna happen. Assuming he even makes it to the island without breaking his frail bones he's going to be the first one leaving because there is no way he's going to be any use to the team."

"Mel, you're just being mean," Portia said as she stuck out her tongue. "We don't like it."

"I'm being sensible," Mel retorted. "And you'd better get used to it, because that's the way I do things."

"She's right, you know," Randall sighed.

The island was fast approaching now. Soon the boat would be arriving.

* * *

The camera then shifted to show the other boat. Looking outwards on the edge was a tall girl with long brown hair that hand bangs running down the side of her face. She wore a blue shirt that was tied to reveal her midriff and a blue skirt. She tapped her fingers along the railing to herself.

"Good morning, madam," a boy said from behind her.

This boy had a buzz-cut, a red tie, and a fancy green coat over a beige shirt. He had an air of professionalism about him.

"I just thought I'd introduce myself," the boy said. "My name is Pedro."

The other girl looked at him for a few seconds before saying, "Hi."

"I was just trying to make some network connections before the game begins," Pedro explained. "May I trouble you for your name?"

"No," the girl replied.

"Well…okay then," the boy said, clearly not trying to show his annoyance. "Here's my business card, just in case you change your mind."

"Um, we're going to be on the same island together," the girl pointed out.

"At least you'll be able to remember my name," Pedro said before heading off.

Over on another side of the boat, two boys were looking outwards. One of them was dark-skinned and muscular. He wore a blue beanie camp, a blue vest, and blue pants.

"'Sup," he said to the smaller boy.

This boy had blond hair that had streaks of green running through it. He had on a blue jacket, but no shirt, so his body was revealed. He had a dazed look on his face as he stared up at the sky.

"I was just…um, looking at those seagulls," the boy explained.

"You don't say," the large boy said with a nod. "I'm Florence, by the way."

"It's interesting," the other boy continued. "I think that one's name is…uh, I think it's Fenrik and uh…uh yeah, he's the prince, but he can't come to power yet because…um, because that bigger seagull, uh…Phillous is keeping power for himself."

"That's…quite an interesting story," Florence said.

"Fenrik will win eventually," the boy continued to drone. "Just like how, uh, I'm gonna win this contest."

"Gentlemen!" Pedro exclaimed as he approached the boys. "Enjoying the sights."

"He's enjoying a lot more than just that," Florence said with a laugh.

"The name's Pedro," Pedro introduced himself. "And you are?"

"Florence," the large boy said with shaking hands with Pedro.

"Drew," the smaller boy said while also shaking hands.

"Pleasure to meet both of you," Pedro said with handing out cards. "I think we could make a pretty strong team if we work together. Just keep it in mind."

As Pedro left the two boys, Florence remarked to Drew, "He seems like a nice guy."

"Yeah…uh, maybe," Drew replied. "But he reminds me of…uh, Phillous a bit too."

A short distance away, a boy with a very fancy beige suit and violet ascot was watching. He had lengthy black hair and held a cane beneath his palms.

"Ugh, what a bunch of commoners," he scoffed to himself.

"Hey, what'd you say?" a girl growled at him.

She had long wavy black hair that came out of a mauve bandana. She wore a grey shirt a blue pants. She did not look happy.

"Who you calling a commoner?" she demanded.

"Um, you, obviously," the boy responded.

"Why I oughta punch your face in!" the girl growled.

"Such a base way of dealing with things," the boy yawned. "You're really closer to a gorilla than a commoner."

"That's it!" the girl shouted as she prepared to strike.

"Whoa, whoa, what's with all the violence?" Pedro exclaimed as he came between the two of them.

"This guy is a jerk!" the girl spat.

"And this girl is a cavewoman who forgot to evolve," the boy retorted.

"Let's not get too feisty here," Pedro said as he held the two of them apart. "Why don't you two just stop talking to each other and calm down?"

Both of them pouted angrily.

"So, I'm Pedro," Pedro declared. "What are you guys called?"

"Renada," the girl declared fiercely.

"Count Aloysius the Third," the boy answered.

"Well, I hope the next time I run into you guys, it won't be just to break up a fight," Pedro said with a laugh. "And here's my card if you ever want to talk to me."

Back by the girl in blue standing near the edge, a short Asian girl was approaching her. This girl had black hair with red streaks going through it. She had a matching red outfit over top of a blue shirt. She wore white stockings on her legs.

"Hi," she greeted with a chipper voice.

"Hey," the other girl replied with no enthusiasm.

"I noticed you sitting here all alone, and thought you might like some company," the Asian girl said.

"Nah," the tall girl replied. "Thanks for the thought, but I prefer to be alone."

"I'm Yu," the girl said while sticking out her hand.

"You're…me?" the tall girl asked confused.

"No, silly," Yu laughed. "I'm Yu; it's my name."

"Oh," the other girl said in realization.

"What about you?" Yu asked.

"What about you?" the girl echoed in misunderstanding.

"No," Yu laughed again. "Not me-you, you-you. What's your name?"

"Ferris," the girl declared.

"Pleased to meet you , Ferris," Yu exclaimed happily. "Even if you don't like company, I think everyone should have at least one friend. And I'm willing to be the best friend ever!"

"How…considerate of you," Ferris said with a weak smile.

Suddenly, Ferris noticed something in the water. It looked like a girl coursing along the side.

"Is someone down there?" Ferris exclaimed, nervously.

With a geyser of water, the girl was launched onto the deck. She had wavy blond hair, a purple and blue striped tanktop, and a skirt made of grass. She had a necklace of flowers and a bright smile on her face.

"Ta-da!" she exclaimed. "Here I am."

"Were you swimming all this way?" Ferris asked in shock.

"Oh no, no," the girl laughed. "I just got a ride from Mr. Whale. He was really nice about it and even helped me get back up."

"Wait, wait, wait," Ferris said in confusion. "You were riding a whale? In freshwater lake?"

"Mr. Whale was on vacation," the girl said logically.

"I'm Yu and this is Ferris, by the way," Yu said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Rocky," the girl declared.

Another geyser of water shot up.

"And Mr. Whale says 'hi' too," Rocky said.

"This is so weird," Ferris said as she shook her head.

Meanwhile, inside the cabin of the boat a girl was frivolously writing notes on cue-cards. This girl was noticeable plump and had amber hair that curled down to her shoulders. She wore a golden dress with crisscross patterns along it.

"Uh, let's see, let's see, what else can I add?" she muttered frantically to herself.

Behind her a boy approached. He had black hair and the signs of a beard growing in. He wore a grey sweater with an orange W on it.

"Hello," he said simply.

"Oh, oh, I know…yes, this is perfect," the girl exclaimed, completely oblivious to her company.

The boy shrugged and stepped back to the side in silence.

* * *

The camera returned to Chris McClean. By now, both boats were arriving at either side of the of the dock.

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!" Teddy exclaimed as he leapt onto the dock. "I'm taking my first step into Total Drama. This moment will stick with me forever!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep moving," Mel said as she shoved past him.

Ten contestants came off that boat and crowded towards Chris. Only nine contestants came off of the other boat.

"Welcome, campers," Chris exclaimed, bursting to the brim with enthusiasm, "to…Total Drama Strandarama!"

The crowds cheered.

"Now, as you can see, you've already been divided," Chris said. "These will be your teams."

"Yay!" Portia exclaimed as she hugged Karly and Sandy.

Mel just scoffed at them. On the other side, Yu cheered while trying to hug Ferris; however, Ferris held her off.

"Now, I'm just going to do a roll call to make sure you're all here," Chris said. "Portia?"

"Here," Portia exclaimed happily while waving.

"Karly?"

"Yep," Karl said with a confident smile.

"Randall?"

"Hi, Chris," Randall said while squeezing out the last of the water in his hair.

"Sandy?"

"Ready to rumble!" Sandy exclaimed eagerly.

"Linus?"

"Ready for JUSTICE!" Linus announced.

"Mel?"

"Here," Mel said, still not sounding happy.

"Marion?"

"Present," Marion said with a nod.

"Austin?"

"Right here!" Austin exclaimed.

"Brienne?"

"Here and fabulous," Brienne replied.

"He's going to say my name next!" Teddy exclaimed. "I just know it, I just know it, I just know it! So awesome."

"And I think that's everyone," Chris said.

"What?" Teddy gasped as his jaw drop. "No. Nonononono. You have to say my name Chris. You didn't say it yet. You have to. It's me, Teddy. Come on, say Teddy."

"Let's see…Teddy, Teddy?" Chris said while looking at his list. "Ah yes, there you are."

"Come on, say it!" Teddy urged. "Don't leave me out."

Chris sighed and called, "Teddy?"

"Right here!" Teddy laughed.

"You guys shall now be known as the Ferocious Fields," Chris declared.

"Awesome team name for an awesome team!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Can you please turn the volume down?" Brienne groaned. "You are giving me a migraine."

"And now let's move onto the next team," Chris said. "Pedro?"

"Here I am," Pedro said. "And here's my card. In case you're interested."

"I'm not," Chris said as he threw the card away. "Rocky?"

Rocky gave a birdcall. A few seconds later a robin landed on his shoulder.

"Oh, I wasn't talking to you, Miss Robin," she said affectionately. "But thanks for coming."

"Drew?"

Silence.

"Drew?"

"He's right here," Florence said as he pointed to Drew.

"Earth to Drew," Chris shouted.

"Huh, what?" Drew muttered. "Oh sorry, I was thinking about how, um, those trees look kind of like, uh, there might be elves living in them."

"Whatever," Chris scoffed. "Florence."

"That's me," Florence said.

"Aloysius,"

"That's Count Aloysius the Third," Aloysius corrected. "I'll thank you to get my full title correct."

"Renada?"

Renada gave a fierce grunt while punching her fists together.

"Ferris?"

"Here," Ferris said.

"Yu?"

"Me!" Yu exclaimed.

"Oh, I just love this name," Chris laughed. "You know that someone named Washington is going to be an oddity. Washington?"

"Hello," Washington said.

Chris looked disappointed, but shrugged and kept looking at his list.

"Betty?"

No response.

"Betty?" Chris said in frustration.

Everyone looked around, but didn't see the girl. There were only nine of them.

"Well, forget her," Chris scoffed. "You snooze you lose. The rest of you here shall now be known as the Tough Trees."

"Come on, Chris, get to the challenge, get to the challenge, get to the challenge!" Teddy exclaimed while bouncing up and down in anticipation.

"Alright, alright," Chris said as he shot Teddy a death glare. "Your first challenge of the season has two parts. The first part is simple enough, you must get to your campsite. Both teams have names that match their campsite; somewhere on this island is a field with a flag waiting for you, and a tree with a flag waiting for you. Once you reach them, you may start the second part, building your campsite. The pass this challenge you must create a shelter, start a fire, gather enough food for the night, and build some sort of monument to display your team spirit. The first team to do so will win the first immunity of the season, while the other team will have to eliminate one of their own."

"Don't worry, guys, I have a strong feeling for us," Yu exclaimed to her team.

"Oh well, we might as well just call it quits now," Mel scoffed. "A girl on the other team has a strong feeling, I'm so scared."

"Oh, and one more thing," Chris said. "To keep this experience as authentic as possible, there is no Confession Cam. However, if you want to vent your feelings, just go to a private place and start talking; chances are that the cameras will see you."

"I'm sure that's not going to induce any paranoia," Ferris remarked dryly.

"So, before we head out, why don't you take the time to let the audience know a bit about you?" Chris said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**This game is just like one big business. I've got to stay on top my making connections with everyone. I'll worry about who I have to cut later.

**Sandy-**I know I may act like a nice girl, and I really think I am, but unfortunately nice isn't going to cut it. Sweeties like Portia are going to get all the love, and I can't compete with that. Instead I've got to make sure I've got someone nasty at my side at all times so I always have a shield.

**Washington-**Hello.

**Portia-**Daddy, I hope you're watching this. Your little girl is going to win this game just for you.

**Marion-**Alright I can see that there's going to be some sparks flying here. I think for today I'd better step to the side and study my opponents. I've got to make sure I'm prepared for when I strike.

**Ferris-**Yeah, I don't really like people. I'm going to try to not be a raincloud all the time, though; it's just that guys like Pedro who get in your face really bug me. I don't think I'll be warming up to him anytime soon.

**Randall-**I'm not going to win this game. I'm a loser, and always have been. My parents seem to think that I have a chance, but I'll be surprised if I can get past first boot.

**Linus-**Heather, Courtney, Alejandro, Scott, Keith, each one of them ruined perfectly good seasons with their evil ways. I won't allow another season to go down that road. Do you hear me!? I won't allow it!

* * *

The two teams had left the dock by now. They had gone their separate ways as they began their search for their camps. However, just then, the girl in the yellow dress came off the boat with her eyes glued to her cue cards.

"Okay, okay, um, ahem," she said nervously. "Hello, fellow campers and competition. I…um…I'm…I can't quite read my writing here…my name is…uh…"

"Betty?" Chris said.

"Yes, that's right, my name is Betty," she exclaimed. "And I liked to say a few things."

"Um, Betty?" Chris tried to say.

"First off, I'd like to say that despite my weight, I am fully capable of handling physical challenges," Betty continued to read. "I may not be as fit or strong as others, but I will still give it 110%."

"Betty!" Chris tried to get her attention.

"That's not to say that I am a challenge threat, though, so don't go thinking that," Betty continued. "If I reach the merge, I'll be probably the easiest person to beat. So keep that in mind."

"Betty, can I say something?" Chris said in frustration.

"Now, let's talk about strategy," Betty still wasn't moving her eyes. "I am willing to be a loyal member to any alliance. I guess the fairest way to do this is first come, first serve, so if you ask, I'll be happy to join your alliance."

Chris opened his mouth.

"Sincerely," Betty concluded.

"BETTY!" Chris shouted.

"Yes, Betty," Betty finished.

Then she looked up. She realized that only Chris was standing in front of her.

"Where…where is everyone?" Betty gasped in shock.

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Chris said. "You see—"

"They HATE me!" Betty cried. "Oh I knew this would happen, I just knew this would happen. I told myself, 'Betty, don't come on too strong, you'll scare them away.' But I did, I did come on too strong. Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"No, Betty, you don't understand," Chris said.

"Well, it looks like I'm doomed to be the first boot," Betty sighed. "I mean, it's clear that no one would want to save me now. I'll save you the time Chris and just get out of your way."

"Betty, your team has already started the challenge," Chris said. "If you don't want to be the first boot, I suggest you go that way."

"Oooh," Betty said in relief.

She gave a light chuckle, before fainting.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

The team was walking through the uneven terrain between the forest and the hills of the island. There were still plenty of trees to keep them shaded, though. Karly, Portia, and Sandy all had the lead at the moment.

"Hm, so we're looking for a field?" Sandy said. "Well, that shouldn't be too hard to miss. A lot easier to find than a single tree."

"Yep, we just need to keep moving," Karly agreed.

"Oh my, this is quite the experience," Portia exclaimed. "Everything seems so…not artificial."

"So, ladies," Karly said, "I know it's early in the game, but I think the three of us could benefit from an alliance."

"Oh yeah, that makes sense," Sandy said.

"There are some people who don't look too friendly," Karly said. "The prime example being the queen of mean, Mel. We should stick together so people of her don't make this stay unbearable."

"Ooh, we should bring Randall into the alliance too," Portia said as she gestured to the small boy who was walking a small distance behind them.

Karly looked uncertain.

"We'll…keep him as an option," Karly said. "I'm just afraid that the game might be too much for the guy."

"Oh…okay," Portia said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**Me? Align with those girls? Ha, why don't I just hand over the cheque while I'm at it? Karly is clearly a strong leader, and Portia is a lovable girl. They're going to be obstacles to me, and the sooner they're gone the better.

**Karly-**Okay, I had a bit of an ulterior motive for not including Randall. I don't want to sound mean, but if he's really as weak as he seems we may have to cut him soon. A team is only as strong as its weakest link.

**Portia-**I'm strategizing! Go me!

* * *

(Tough Trees)

As the team walked through the deep forest, Yu was humming and skipping.

"Oh this is the best team ever, I couldn't be happier with my teammates," she exclaimed. "I know, why don't we each take turns telling things about ourselves?"

"Sounds fun," Florence said. "My name is Florence and my idea of a perfect day is just lounging in the sun with a drink in hand."

"I'm Renada," Renada barked. "All you need to know is, you make me mad, you get hurt."

"Now, now, Renada, let's stay positive," Yu said with shooting a smile at the girl.

Renada retorted with a snarl.

"I'm Washington," Washington said softly. "I like…stuff."

"My name is Count Aloysius the Third, as you all should know by now," Aloysius announced. "I come from an elevated, pure family which means I'm worth more than all of you combined. And I don't like dirt."

As he spoke, he picked up a leaf that had fallen onto his suit and tossed it away.

"Can I just say that you picked the wrong show to be on?" Ferris pointed out. "You're going to have to get a little dirtier sooner or later."

"Not if I can help it," Aloysius replied.

"Ick, a bug," Pedro groaned as a mosquito flew near his ear.

He swatted at it, trying to shoo it away.

"No!" Rocky cried. "Mr. Mosquito is trying to help us."

"It's a bloodsucking parasite," Pedro pointed out.

"And he wants to help us," Rocky said as the mosquito flew into her ear. "Uh-huh…uh-huh…oh, really? Thank you, Mr. Mosquito."

"I can't believe I'm asking this," Ferris said, "but what did it say?"

"He says that if we turn right at the next big redwood, we will come up to the flag pretty soon," Rocky said.

"Well, might as well give it a try," Florence said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Yu-**My team is just like a family. Sure, every family has a few oddballs, but in the end we can put all our differences aside.

**Aloysius-**Talking to insects? Clearly this is a sign that Miss Rocky has the brain of a lower level intelligence. But of course, I'm not surprised.

**Ferris-**Yeah, there are some weirdos on my team. But hey, if it helps us win, I'm not complaining.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

"Ugh, my feet are killing me," Brienne groaned. "We've been walking forever and it still looks like we're in the same spot."

"Yes, how suspicious," Linus said while narrowing his eyes at her, "but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"I'm just saying I need a break," Brienne said as she sat down a rock. "My legs need time to regain their strength."

"Oh no, not on my watch," Mel exclaimed. "Do you want the other team to get the advantage? Do you want to lose the very first immunity challenge? Because if that's what you want, you can bet that you're going to be the very first person booted off this team."

"I thought I was going to be the first one booted off," Randall said.

"I thought you said _I_ was going to be the first one voted off," Portia added.

"Yeah, whatever, I'd vote you all out first if I could," Mel said.

"I think that Brienne has a good point," Karly said. "I think we could benefit for a quick break."

Mel made a sour face at Karly, but didn't say anything. Everyone else on the team sat down on rocks or under trees. Brienne began filing her nails again. Linus kept his intense stare on her.

"What?" Brienne asked.

"I've got my eye on you," Linus said.

Austin meanwhile was scratching off the bark of a tree.

"Um…why are you doing that?" Randall asked.

"Just an experiment," Austin said. "Trees something have connections with the spirits of the wild. Maybe there's a message hidden in here somewhere."

"Oh, I see," Randall replied.

"Would you like to try?" Austin offered. "Just peel off some bark and look for some paranormal patterns."

"Well, alright," Randall said as he tried scraping off some bark.

He only ended up getting a splinter in his hand.

"Okay, I think I'm done," Randall said.

"Good idea," Austin said. "You can stick to trying to find crop circles."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Austin-**To be honest, I didn't really come here to play the game. It's just that uninhabited islands are just a prime source for spiritual activity, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to explore.

**Linus-**Oh sure, Brienne doesn't seem like much right now. That's how it always starts. But soon enough she'll stab you in the back and by then it'll be too late. But we'll see if I have anything to say about that.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Betty rushed through the forest as fast as she could. Awkwardly and out of breath, she managed to catch up with her team.

"Hey…guys…wait up…" she called through heaving breaths. "I finally…caught up with…you."

"Um, who are you?" Pedro asked.

"Oh, ah, right," Betty exclaimed as she pulled out her cue cards. "Um, ahem, hello, I—"

At that moment a strong gust of wind blew all the cards out of her hand and into the air.

"Ah! No!" Betty exclaimed as she tried to grab her cards. "Um…I'll be right back."

With that, she rushed after the cards. Florence glanced at Washington who just shrugged. The team kept moving.

"Just up here," Rocky said. "We're supposed to look out for a pointy rock."

"Did your mosquito friend tell you that too?" Ferris asked.

"Actually, it was Ms. Hummingbird," Rocky said.

The girl turned to show a minuscule bird fluttering next to her ear. Drew, meanwhile, was also examining some creature, although he was choosing to focus on a team of ants marching near his feet.

"Can you talk to animals too?" Florence asked.

"I wish I could," Drew said. "Then I could…uh, ask Timothy here why he…uh, continues to supress the love he clearly…um, feels for his queen."

"Heh, whatever you say," Florence chuckled.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Florence-**Drew's a quirky guy, but a cool kid. I think I'll get along just fine with him.

**Betty-**Oh, this could not have gone any worse. It's like fate wants to see me eliminated first.

**Drew-**A good story interests me and…uh, there's like a lot of good stories in…um, anything you look at.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

"I swear, we have been walking in circles for hours," Brienne groaned through clenched teeth.

"And whose fault is that?" Mel said. "Why, I'd say the one who's leading us."

"Hey, I'm doing the best I can," Karly said firmly. "I'd like to see you do any better."

"Ladies, please, this isn't going to help us get there any faster," Marion said. "All we can do is keep moving."

"For how long?" Brienne moaned dramatically. "Until our legs fall off!?"

"Hey, guys, c'mon!" Teddy exclaimed as he ran over to the group.

"And where have you been?" Mel demanded.

"What do you mean?" Teddy asked. "I arrived at the camp thirty minutes ago. I was just waiting for the rest of you to arrive."

The team sighed collectively in annoyance.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**So far, so good. I can already see sides beginning to form. Of course, in the end, the only side that'll truly matter is the one I choose.

**Austin-**Aw man, I was hoping that we'd ended up in a space-time loop…but I guess finding camp is good too.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

"…and thank you again for the kind directions," Rocky said as a wombat nudged its head toward a tree with a flag sticking out of it.

The flag was orange and had a tree with an angry mouth on it.

"Alright, we made it!" Florence cheered.

"Team power!" Yu added.

"Let's not celebrate, yet guys," Pedro said. "We still have the second part of the challenge to worry about."

"Right, let's all pitch in and sing a happy working song," Yu suggested. "It'll make the time go by quicker."

"Pass," Ferris said.

"Well, you can't expect me to do any work," Aloysius said.

"Why? Because a rich guy like you doesn't have muscle in his body?" Ferris scoffed.

"No, I could easily do all these tasks with my hands tied behind my back," Aloysius said. "But I'd rather not risk dirtier my suit. And I'm sure working class folks like you are all used to hard labour by now."

"I'll show you hard labour," Renada grunted as she grabbed Aloysius by the collar.

"Let it go, Renada," Pedro said. "We need to focus our energy on working right now."

The team divided up the tasks for them to do. Just as they started to split up, Betty arrived at the tree.

"Okay, let's try this again," Betty exclaimed. "Ahem, hello fellow campers and—"

"Great, glad you could make it," Pedro exclaimed as he grabbed her. "Now get to work."

"Erh…uh…yes sir," Betty said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Renada-**I'll work on winning right now because I don't want to go home. But as soon as I'm done, Aloysius better watch out.

**Betty-**Oh, there's a million ways I could have handled that better. I could have insisted that he let me finish. I could have added that I'd be happy to help. Oh, I've really got to work out some kinks in this plan.

**Yu-**Winning the challenge is just what we need to boost team moral. Tonight we're all going to be partying.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

"See, there is," Teddy exclaimed as he pointed to a green flag of a grassy field with a fist coming out of it in the middle of field. "Just like I told. You know, how I told you early. This is the field I was talking about when I told you earlier."

"We get it," Marion said.

"Okay, team, good work," Karly said. "Now, let's move onto the next part."

"And this time, try not to be such a trainwreck," Mel scoffed.

"I think we should break up into groups," Sandy said.

"Good idea," Teddy exclaimed. "What group do you want me to be in? And what kind of work should I do? Do you want me to go fishing? I can go fishing. I've done it before, you know."

There was a brief silence before Brienne exclaimed, "Not it."

This was followed by, "Not it!" from everyone else. Except one.

"I'd be happy to work with you, Teddy," Portia said.

"Hooray, let's go!" Teddy cheered.

And so the groups disbanded and began to work on their next task.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Brienne-**I swear, Teddy is like listening to a jackhammer pound on and on with each word drilling into my skull.

**Mel-**Well, this group's headed for failure, I can tell you that right now.

**Teddy-**Oh wow, my very first challenge, my very first challenge! I just have to win this; it'll be a golden moment for me!

* * *

The scene returned to showing Chris sitting at the dock.

"Well, well, how's that for an opener?" he said. "The first challenge is only halfway done and already we've seen quite a bit of chaos. Be sure to check back next time for the conclusion of this dramatic premiere. Which team will win, the Tough Trees or the Ferocious Fields? Will Teddy drive his team insane? Will Betty be able to hold herself together? And who will be the critical first boot? It's going to be an intense elimination so don't miss the next episode of Total…Drama…Strandarama!"

_Author's Note: So, that's part one of the first episode. Like I said, for now this is just a start, and I plan on getting back to Switcheroo soon. I may do part 2 of this episode first, or if I'm feeling inspired, I may got back to Switcheroo. But in the meantime, let me know who you like, who you hate, and who you think will be the first boot._


	2. The New Blood: Part 2

_Author's Note: Okay, guys, this is the conclusion of the first episode and I'm going to try and pause this series there for now. It'll continue once I finish Swithcheroo._

"Welcome back to the premiere of Total Drama Strandarama!" Chris McClean exclaimed as he stood on the edge of the dock. "If you missed the last episode, we started off the game with two teams. The Ferocious Fields were led by Karly, but had difficulty with the loudmouthed Mel. Meanwhile, on the Tough Trees, Yu hoped that everyone would get along as friends. Thanks to Rocky they managed to find their camp easily, but not all of them were so lucky; Betty wanted to have each step of the game go her way, but her awkward nature got in the way and she ended up only making a fool of herself. Both teams are working to finish setting up their campsite now, and whoever finishes first will be immune. The other team will be going through with the first elimination of the season tonight so keep watching Total Drama Strandarama!"

* * *

**Theme Song:**

(Music begins and the camera zooms down the dock to show Chris. Other camera pop out of various locations.)

_Dear Mom and Dad I'm doing fine._

(The camera dives into the water where Randall is flailing wildly.)

_You guys are on my mind._

(Moves up to show Teddy and Brienne in a boat. Teddy is paddling frantically and splashing water all over Brienne.)

_You asked me what I wanted to be and now I think the answer is plain to see._

(The camera shifts to the forest where Florence is leaning against a tree and Drew is watching a rabbit intently.)

_I wanna be famous._

(An eagle swoops down and grabs the rabbit. Rocky arrives and shrugs apologetically at Drew.)

_I wanna live close to the sun._

(Mel and Karly are seen arguing aggressively in a boat going over the edge of a waterfall.

_Go pack your bags cause I've already won._

(The girls fall out and land on Renada who shoves them off with annoyance.)

_I'll get there one day._

(Marion laughs at the girls. Linus appears and glares at him.)

_Cause I wanna be famous._

(The camera slides through a campsite where Sandy and Pedro are tossing stacks of wood to Austin and Betty. Betty catches one but stumbles over backwards.)

_Na na na na na na na na na na!_

(The camera ascends a mountain where Ferris is climbing. She slips, but Yu grabs onto her. The two smile at each other.)

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous._

(On top of the mountain, Aloysius and Portia are dueling with a cane and parasol.)

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous._

(Aloysius knocks the parasol out of her hands and it flies into the sky. As night falls, it goes slowly soaring down. As the tune turns to a whistling it lands in the center of the cast around a campfire. Washington grabs it, shrugs, and throws it away.)

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

Karly had gathered everyone and was dividing up the tasks.

"Okay, let's break up into pairs," she said. "We're going to need some large sticks and logs to build the shelter so…Marion and Austin, do you want to do that?"

"On it!" Austin exclaimed.

Marion just gave a slight nod.

"Now," Karly continued, "Portia and Teddy—"

"Fish, fish, fish!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Uh, okay, you guys can try to get some fish," Karly said. "And we're going to need to get some fire, who wants to get some sticks?"

"I'll do that," Mel offered.

"Great," Karly said, "you can take—"

"Oh no, I'm not working with any of these losers," Mel said. "I'm going to do my job and do it right."

"Uh…" Karly sighed.

"Great, she can do my shift too," Brienne said. "Which means I have time to make sure my hair still looks fabulous."

"Ugh, fine," Karly sighed. "Anyways, Randall and Sandy, why don't you work on coming up with something for the monument."

"Sure thing," Sandy said. "We can get artistic."

"The last time I tried to do art I made my teacher cry," Randall replied.

"And that leaves Linus and I to work on putting the shelter together," Karly declared.

"I couldn't have asked for a better partner," Linus said.

"Great, now let's get to work," Karly said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**I'm trying to take control of this team because I really want to avoid having us turn into a trainwreck. Hopefully everyone will be too busy at work to argue with each other.

**Brienne-**I know what you're thinking: "A girl this beautiful can't possibly have a brain." But I just happened to be lucky enough to be blessed with both. I know exactly what I'm doing here. Did you see how I manipulated Mel into doing my shift for me? Pure genius.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Pedro, Betty, and Washington were all working together to lift a very heavy log

"Are you…sure we…need this?" Betty asked as she strained to keep it up.

"Yeah, we need to make sure our shelter is big enough to house ten and be strong enough to not collapse in the middle of the night," Pedro said. "And the only way we can be sure is by using strong logs. Right, Washington?"

"Yes," Washington replied.

"Ugh, you people are doing this completely wrong," Aloysius scoffed. "Use your legs, but some force into it. I would think that base class folks like you would know a little bit more about this kind of labour."

"Hey, if you want to help…" Pedro grunted.

"And risk getting sap on my hands?" Aloysius scoffed. "Please, my skin is far too delicate for that kind of messiness."

Meanwhile, Florence and Drew were gathering smaller sticks to be used for fire.

"Man, this is tiring stuff," Florence said. "We just walked all this way and now we have to carry all this wood? I think I need a nap."

"It's…uh, not so bad," Drew said.

"Could be worse, I suppose," Florence agreed. "But I still feel like a peasant out here."

"Most, uh, heroes start out as…uh, peasants," Drew said. "They, um, usually have to do a lot of…you know, uh, hard work, but then they…uh, go on an adventure and save the day and…uh, become king and stuff."

"Oh, I see what you're getting at," Florence said.

"If working hard means I get to be…uh, the king later on," Drew said, "then so be it."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**Ugh, Aloysius is not a team player, not at all. If he keeps this up, we'll be going to elimination, and there's a good chance that he'll be taking the fall.

**Aloysius-**I was trying to help the workers. The least I can do was make sure they do their jobs properly.

**Drew-**When there's, um…twenty people here it's uh…hard to tell, who the…um, hero is supposed to be…but, uh, I hope it's me.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

"Alrighty then, we need a monument," Sandy muttered. "How do you think we should go about this?"

"I stay we stick with something simple," Randall suggested.

"Ah, beauty in simplicity kind of thing?" Sandy asked.

"No," Randall replied, "but when we fail I don't want the result to be too disastrous."

"That's not a fun attitude," Sandy replied. "Come on, let's find some stuff to work with. There's…um, rocks, and…sticks."

"Okay," Randall sighed.

The two of them began collecting whatever they could grab, without much of an idea of what they were doing. As Sandy gathered smooth stones and small branches, she noticed Mel nearby also collecting sticks. She had already gotten quite a large pile under her arm.

"Oh Mel, let me help you with that," Karly said. "You don't want to drop that load by accident."

"Excuse me, did I ask for any help?" Mel spat. "Do I look incapable to you?"

"Look, I'm just trying to make sure everything is running smoothly," Karly said. "Marion and Austin are still getting wood for the shelter so until they come back, I just want to help out who I can."

"Great, but count me out," Mel said. "I'm working just fine on my own. I don't need people like you messing me up."

Sandy couldn't help but grin slightly to herself as she watched.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**Mel is shaping up to be the perfect ally for me. Everyone hates her, so if I can keep her safe, then everyone will too busy with her to notice me as I slip by.

**Karly-**I am trying to be as civil as possible with Mel, but she's making it very difficult. If that's how she reacts to people trying to help her, I'd hate to see someone try to hurt her.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Renada was trying to push a large boulder towards the campsite. She wasn't making much progress, though.

"What are you doing?" Rocky asked as she hopped over to her.

"What is it look like?" Renada growled. "This will be a good base for our monument."

"Oh well…would you like some help?" Rocky asked.

"Bah, would good could do?" Renada scoffed. "You've got scrawny girly arms."

"Oh no, not me," Rocky giggled. "My friend."

"And what friend is this?" Renada asked.

"Oh…Mr. Water-buffalo!" Rocky called.

"Don't be stupid," Renada scoffed. "There are no water-buffalos on this island."

However the two soon heard something heavy approaching. A massive water-buffalo charged forward and rammed its head against the rock. It pushed the stone all the way to the tree with the team flag. Then the animal disappeared back into the forest.

"That's Mr. Water-buffalo," Rocky said proudly. "He's my friend."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Renada-**Apparently there are water-buffalos on this island. Well, if they're gonna help us then I won't complain.

**Rocky-**I came out here to meet some new animal friends, but I have a lot of old friends too who are all happy to help out when I call. That's for friends are for, after all.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

Portia and Teddy had walked a short distance away from the field until they came to a river flowing through the forest.

"Ooh, I think I can see some fish," Portia exclaimed. "But…how do we catch them?"

"Check this out!" Teddy exclaimed as he lifted up a sharpened stick

He ran to the river and began jabbing like crazy.

"Come here, fishy, fishy, fishy!" he laughed while stabbing over and over again.

He held it up to reveal…nothing.

"Oh well, let's try again," Teddy said. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again, that my motto, you know."

"Um…Teddy, I think you may have scared away all the fish," Portia said as she pointed to the now vacant spot in the never.

"Not a problem," Teddy exclaimed. "We'll just have to find some more! Come on, let's go, never stop trying, never give up, let's go!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**I'm fishing for my own food; how exciting is that!? Although…I suppose it would be a little nicer if we actually caught something.

**Teddy-**I remember one time I went down to this lake by my house that was in British Columbia and I had my friends and we wanted to go fishing because the newscaster said that there was a ginormous catfish in that particular lake and we thought we could catch it and get a prize and be heroes and be famous and everyone would love us…but we didn't!

* * *

(Tough Trees)

"Here you go," Florence exclaimed as he piled his collection of sticks in front of Ferris.

"Thank you," Ferris said as Drew followed up with his own pile.

"Do you think that's enough?" Florence asked. "Or should we get some more?"

"That should do for now," Ferris said. "But if we want to keep this fire going then we might be need more a little later."

As Florence and Drew left, Ferris took the wood to work in a ring of stones. She began rubbing the sticks together in an attempt to start a flame. Despite her efforts, she didn't seem to be having much luck.

"Do you need some help with that?" Yu asked as she skipped over to her.

"I doubt there's much you can do," Ferris remarked. "This wood doesn't seem to want to burn."

"Well, I'll do what I can," Yu said.

She took the sticks from Ferris's hands and began rubbing them together. Again, she received no product.

"Well, this sucks," Ferris sighed. "No fire means we won't be winning tonight."

"No need to look on the downside like that," Yu said. "We haven't gotten fire…yet. But we've still got some time before sunset. We'll get it."

"You sound so sure," Ferris said skeptically.

"I am sure," Yu replied. "When a group of dedicated people come together and set their mind to something, nothing can stop them."

"You actually believe that?" Ferris said with a slight chuckle.

"Of course," Yu replied.

"You're an interesting girl," Ferris said with a smile.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**Yu may have her head in the clouds, but I can cope with that. Even if she's wrong, it is nice to have someone be positive.

**Yu-**Happiness is the key to leaving a good life, and there's always happiness to be found no matter where you are. You just have to look for it.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

Marion and Austin were wandering through the forest collecting logs to use for the shelter. They had already gotten a small pile of wood, but it was nowhere near close to the amount they needed.

"We're going to have to pick up the pace if we want to finish first," Marion said.

"Eh, what's the worst that could happen?" Austin said nonchalantly.

"Um, someone could be voted off," Marion pointed out.

"Oh right, that," Austin shrugged.

"You're not worried?" Marion asked.

"Should I be?" Austin asked.

"Well, it could be you," Marion pointed out.

"Eh, maybe," Austin said with another shrug.

The two boys continued to walk. Eventually they spotted a large piece that looked like it used to be a part of a tree before it had fallen over. Marion went to pick it up, but found that it was too heavy.

"Hey, Austin, give me a hand here," Marion said.

He got no response. He turned around to see that Austin was nowhere in sight.

"Ugh, where did that little weirdo get to?" Marion groaned.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**I don't get what Austin is doing here. He only seems partially aware that he's in a competition.

**Austin-**Yeah, I suppose I could be the one to go, but I think they'll choose someone else, like that Mel girl. And that means I'll have a couple more days to explore for any ghosts.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Betty, Washington, and Pedro had finally gotten the huge log into the center of the campsite.

"Well, that's a relief," Betty sighed as she brushed her hands on her dress.

"Now what?" Washington asked.

"Well, I'd say that you'll have to go out again and get at least five more logs like that," Aloysius pointed out. "I'd get cracking if I were you."

"But I'm so tired," Betty exclaimed.

"Maybe someone else could give it a shot?" Pedro said to Aloysius.

"Good idea," Aloysius. "You there, boy who's too poor for a shirt, get moving."

Drew didn't look up.

"I'm talking to you," Aloysius grumbled. "Show a little respect."

"Sorry, what?" Drew said as he turned around. "I was busy thinking about…uh, the family of wolves who, um…"

"Yes, yes, yes I'm sure it's very fascinating," Aloysius said, "but right now we need you to do the one think you're good for: work. So get wood-chopping."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**It's starting to feel like I'm the only one who cares about winning here.

**Betty-**Do you think that was good enough? I didn't come off as whiny, did I? I mean, I really was tired, and I did do a lot of work…oh, but I could have done more!

**Drew-**Aloysius is mean, but…uh, the ogre who bullied Patrick the Wolf was...um, struck by lightning, so maybe Aloysius will be...uh, struck by my vote.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

"How is everyone doing?" Karly asked the group still at camp.

Sometime had passed, yet they still had made minimal progress. Karly walked over to Sandy and Randall who were kneeling over a pile of twigs and rocks.

"Uh, yeah, it turns out that it's hard to make a base out just frail sticks," Sandy said.

Karly turned to see Randall's hands were incredibly red and bruised.

"What happened to you?" Karly asked.

"It turned out every stick I grabbed was poisonous, and every rock I grabbed was the nest of some angry insect," Randall answered.

"I know right, what are the odds?" Sandy said.

"Well, just try your best," Karly said. "I'm sure you'll be able to get something done."

Karly then moved over the Mel who was rubbing sticks together.

"How is the fire coming?" Karly asked.

"Oh gee, why don't you tell me?" Mel scoffed. "Do you see a flame? Do you see sparks? Because if you do then you must be seeing things."

"Sorry I asked," Karly grumbled as she rubbed her forehead.

Meanwhile, Brienne was sitting on a rock as Linus glared at her.

"Look, if you're going to just stand there, could you at least make yourself useful and fan this for me?" Brienne said as she handed him a fern.

"Oh and why should I do anything for you?" Linus demanded.

"Fine, don't," Brienne grunted.

"Oh, I get it, reverse psychology," Linus exclaimed. "You DON'T want me to fan you, and you thought I would fall for it like that. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but JUSTICE doesn't fall for petty tricks like that."

Linus then began fanning her with the large leaf.

"Ah, that's it," Brienne purred.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Brienne-**I know, pure genius, pure Brienne.

**Randall-**I feel bad for my team, they don't deserve to get stuck with me. But maybe once they vote me out first they'll be better off.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Renada had grabbed several smaller rocks and used them to make a border around the large rock next to the tree.

"Hm, looks good," she remarked to herself. "Could use something to make it a little more colourful though."

"Surprise!" Rocky exclaimed as she appeared next to Renada. "Look what I found!"

She held out a bouquet of multi-coloured flowers.

"Miss Honey Bee was quite helpful in finding all the best spots," Rocky exclaimed.

"Great, let's put them on," Renada said as she tried to stick the flowers onto the boulder.

Unfortunately, gravity just pulled them down to the ground.

"Well, that's just wonderful," Renada said. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Ooh, I know," Rocky exclaimed. "Why don't you put them up on the top?"

"I don't suppose you have a Mr. Monkey friend to help us out?" Renada scoffed.

"Yes, but he has the flu," Rocky said apologetically. "I bet I could do it, though."

Rocky grabbed the flowers and tried to scale the rock. She soon fell back to the ground.

"Wait, wait, I can do this!" Rocky exclaimed.

She tried climbing again, but once more failed.

"I don't have time for this," Renada grunted as she went to find more rocks.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Renada-**Flowers are pretty, but they wither up and die. Rocks on the other hand stay firm for hundreds of years.

**Rocky-**Mr. Monkey was teaching me how to climb the last time I saw him. Unfortunately, I probably could have paid a little more attention.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

Marion marched through the forest in frustration as he tried to find his partner.

"Austin, Austin, where are you!?" he called.

After much searching he finally found the boy sitting crossed-legged with his eyes closed.

"Austin, what are you doing!?" Marion snapped.

"Shh," Austin said as he held up a finger.

"Don't shush me, we're already falling behind," Marion said. "We need to get that wood back to camp."

"Spirits don't like making contact with the living," Austin said. "So, I'd appreciate it if you remained quiet."

Marion just slapped his face before grabbing Austin by the collar and dragging him back with him.

"Well, you're the one who pointed out that I could be leaving first," Austin defended himself. "I was just trying to make a connection as soon as I could, before I left."

"Yeah, yeah, you can do that on your own time," Marion said. "Right now, we have a job to do."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Austin-**The reason why people are so skeptical about the supernatural is because spirits prefer to avoid civilization. That's why I came out here. Although, for best results, I'm going to need to be completely isolated from my team.

**Marion-**Win or lose doesn't really make a big difference to me, my game will play out the same. However, it would be nice to win the first challenge so that I have a bit more time to orchestrate everything.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Florence grabbed the two sticks and rubbed them together furiously. He got no result.

"Aw, sorry, ladies," he apologized. "I gave it my all."

"And good job on that," Yu said. "I'm really impressed with your determination; in fact, I think you almost had it. You should feel proud of yourself."

"Uh, thanks," Florence replied.

"But it still doesn't change anything," Ferris sighed.

"Nonsense, we've got to be wearing it down," Yu said. "That fire can't keep evading us forever."

The sky was turning pink now as the sun neared the horizon.

"It's getting late," Pedro remarked. "I wonder how close the other team is to finishing."

"They can't be any closer than we are," Renada said. "I saw some of them, and they don't look strong."

"Hm, but each team has their strong and weak links," Pedro said.

"Speaking of which," Aloysius said. "What is taking that shirtless airhead? He should be back by now."

"I'll go look for him," Florence offered.

"I'll come too," Aloysius said. "I need to make him understand how serious this is."

As the two left, Betty asked, "So, what are we going to about food?"

"Oh, that's easy," Rocky exclaimed; she then emitted a shrill bird cry.

A red fluffy bird appeared on her shoulder. Rocky opened he mouth and the bird regurgitated a mess of worms into her mouth.

"Yum," Rocky exclaimed.

Everyone else looked absolutely disgusted.

"What?" she asked innocently.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Renada-**If that girl really wants to be useful then she can call us some birds to kill and roast.

**Rocky-**I don't get what the big deal is. Bird meals are healthier than most things you can buy at fast food restaurant.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

Teddy and Portia had walked along the river, each time they stopped to gather fish, Teddy came up empty handed.

"Oh wow, it's starting to get late," Portia remarked. "I hope the rest of the team isn't going to be too annoyed with us."

"Why would they be? We're bringing them fish," Teddy exclaimed. "That's what we're supposed to do, and that's what we're doing, so why would they be upset?"

"Well…we still don't have any fish," Portia pointed out.

"We'll get some soon enough," Teddy exclaimed, "we just gotta keep on trying and trying and trying and trying…"

"Um, perhaps I could give it a try," Portia suggested.

"Well, if you want to," Teddy said. "But you've got such a nice dress, and such tender arms, and such sweet hands, I'd hate for you to get dirty."

"That's what I'm here for," Portia said.

She took the spear from Teddy and positioned herself in the river.

"There's one, there's one, there's one!" Teddy exclaimed. "Now, now, now, get him, get him!"

However, Portia ignored him. She waited for just the right minute before jabbing her fish downward. She pulled it up with a dead fish skewered on its end.

"I did it, I did it!" Portia cheered. "Now…we just need to do it nine more times."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**I caught a fish! I know, I'm surprised too.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Aloysius and Florence walked through the woods together. It was getting dark by now and the shade from the trees wasn't helping.

"Drew, Drew!?" Florence called.

"Drew, I demand that you show yourself immediately," Aloysius declared. "I'm giving you to the count of three…two…one…blast, I thought for sure that would work."

After turning a corner, the two finally found Drew looking outward.

"Drew, what are you doing?" Aloysius snapped. "Answer me!"

"Huh…oh, hey guys," Drew greeted.

"Don't give me that," Aloysius snapped.

"Sorry, I just got caught up thinking about how…uh, the full moon meant that there would be…um, werewolves out," Drew explained. "And then I wondered if, uh…Patrick was a werewolf and…uh, if that meant that he was…uh, actually a person…"

"I don't have time for this dribble," Aloysius said. "Now, where's the wood?"

"The what now?" Drew asked.

Aloysius looked like he was a few seconds away from break his cane as his face turned red with fury.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**Inexcusable, absolutely inexcusable. That boy has no place on my team.

**Drew-**Aloysius seemed mad…or, uh, maybe he was just a werewolf and, uh…about to transform.

* * *

(Ferocious Fighters)

The sun had set and it night had arrived. Mel had finally gotten a small flame in the pit now.

"You see, that's what getting stuff done looks like," Mel exclaimed.

Marion and Austin arrived next, carrying several large logs behind them.

"There's more to come," Marion said. "It's still not a lot, but hopefully it'll be enough."

"I think that should do," Karly said. "Linus, come on, let's get started."

The two of them dragged the wood over and began arranging them in the form of arc that would be wide enough to cover all ten contestants.

"I hope no one minds sleeping on grass," Karly said. "We're going to have to cut some corners for tonight."

"Famous last words," Mel scoffed.

Portia and Teddy arrived next, with several dead fish.

"Hey, guys, we're back," Portia exclaimed. "Sorry, we could only catch a few."

"We can eat sparingly," Karly said.

"Hm, a grass bed and a limited diet," Brienne remarked, "just like every other time I visit the health spa."

"I think we might be able to pull through," Karly said. "If we just work quickly."

"Ow!" Randall exclaimed from the side.

The monument that he and Sandy were working on had come crashing down…on his leg.

"Oh, that doesn't look pleasant," Marion remarked.

"I'm fine," Randall assured. "But we'll have to start over on the monument…again."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**Tonight may not be the most luxurious, but if it means we won't have to vote someone out, I say it's worth it.

**Mel-**You expect me to eat dirty fish caught in a river and sleep under an arc of sticks that was built with "cutting corners?" Do I look like I have a death wish!?

* * *

(Tough Trees)

"Attention campers!" Chris's voice boomed through a megaphone. "Night has fallen and neither team has finished the challenge. I suggest you pick it up because you're not getting any sleep until it's all finished."

"Oh no, it's all over for us!" Betty exclaimed in panic while she grabbed Washington. "It's all over!"

"Betty, Betty, calm down," Yu said.

"We have no fire, we have no wood for shelter and our only food is regurgitated worms!" Betty cried. "I should have known that this would happen; nothing's been going right at all for me!"

"Let's try to keep our heads," Pedro said. "For all we know, the Ferocious Fields could be having just as much difficulty."

"And just a heads up," Chris continued, "the Ferocious Fields are closing in on finishing."

"Never mind," Pedro sighed.

"We're doomed!" Betty cried. "What if this is just the start? What if we lose every single challenge in a row!? Or worse…what if we just lose this one…and I'm the one who's voted out!?"

Aloysius, Florence, and Drew arrived back at that moment.

"Well, I can see that things have gone to anarchy while I was gone," Aloysius scoffed.

"Alright, listen Al," Pedro said angrily. "We've all been working to our limits while you've just been giving off snide comments."

"What's your point?" Aloysius asked.

"My point is that if we lose, you're going to be leaving!" Pedro shouted. "No question."

Aloysius sighed heavily and said, "Fine."

He took off his suit and handed it to Pedro.

"Hold this please," he said.

"What?" Pedro asked.

"Well, I can't risk getting it dirty," Aloysius said as he dropped it in Pedro's arms. "Now, if you'll excuse me I've got a challenge to win."

With striking speed he sprinted over towards some trees. He ran straight into a tree and skillfully jumped off of it. While airborne he used his cane to slice through several branches at once. From there he grabbed onto the sticks and grabbed some vines to use as rope. He threw the sticks like javelins; they pierced the large tree in the center and draped the vines down like a curtain over the large log that the others had left in the center of the campsite. He then sprinted over to the log and spent a few seconds of feeling it before delivering a firm chop with his hand. The log split in two halves, each perfectly flat. He then moved over to Yu and grabbed the sticks from her. With one smooth strike he had a roaring fire going. He twirled around so that he was facing some trees again.

"Hm…this one," he exclaimed before delivering a kick to the tree.

Several red fruits rained down from it. With one final motion, Aloysius grabbed the flowers from Rocky and flipped on top of the rock. He sprinkled them around like a halo before sliding down.

"Done," he declared.

Everyone was silent with their jaws open. Yu broke the silence by clapping happily and soon everyone followed. Everyone except Renada who was narrowing her eyes at Aloysius.

"Why didn't you just do that in the first place?" Pedro asked. "We could have saved so much time."

"Work is for the working class," Aloysius declared. "I hope you learn to improve your skills, because I really don't like lowering myself to such base levels."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**Don't be surprised, when you have as much time and money on your hands like I do you can take all sorts of…interesting courses.

**Renada-**Hmph, Aloysius is trying to make me look bad now.

**Pedro-**Well, that certainly was impressive. And it looks like we've got a secret weapon from now on.

* * *

(Ferocious Flames)

"That should do it," Linus said as he put the final touches on the shelter.

The shelter wasn't much, but it would cover the contestants when they needed it to.

"And how's the fish coming?" Karly asked.

Portia was holding the skewers of fish over the fire.

"It's going good!" Teddy exclaimed. "It smells so good, oh I can't wait to eat this fish, it's going to be so tasty, I just can't wait!"

Sandy was still trying to stack the rocks and sticks into a sort of totem pole.

"Where'd Randall go?" Marion asked her.

"Over there," Sandy pointed at the boy standing out in the field. "I told him he could supervise…hey, at least he can't hurt himself out there."

At that moment, Chris arrived in his helicopter. However, he didn't see Randall, and decided to land dangerously close to him. One of the helicopter's blades sliced off the tip of Randall's hair.

"Ferocious Fields!" Chris exclaimed as he stepped out. "Looking good…but, not good enough. In fact, you are today's losers."

The team groaned in defeat together.

"Now, this season we'll be doing a slightly different process for elimination," Chris said. "I'll give you some time to decide who you're voting for, but before you vote you'll be meeting me at the Gazebo of Defeat. Just head in that direction and you can't miss it."

With that, Chris hopped back into his helicopter and took off.

"Well, I don't see why he even bothered to give us time to think," Mel scoffed. "We all know why we lost. That guy!"

She jabbed a finger at Randall.

"I'm sorry," Randall apologized.

"You should be," Mel said as she stormed off. "Let me know when it's time to go."

Once Mel was gone, Karly gathered everyone.

"Okay everyone, I don't think there's any question about it, we need to lose Mel," Karly said. "She's like the cancer of this tribe."

"I agree," Portia said. "She's nothing but mean."

"Well, that was easy," Sandy said. "I guess we still have a bit of time before we meet Chris."

"I suggest trying to finish the work around here," Marion said. "There are few more touches that need to be done."

And so everyone split up. Sandy snuck off on her own to find Mel. The grumpy girl was currently sitting under a tree and massaging her temples.

"Hello, Mel," Sandy said with a smile.

"Get lost," Mel said. "You people have already given me a splitting headache, the least you could do is give me three minutes of silence."

"Look, we don't have much time and we need to talk," Sandy said. "People are going to be voting you out if you don't act fast."

"Ha, I don't think so," Mel said. "I'm the only person with a grain of sense on this team. There's no way they're getting rid of me first."

"Oh, but they are," Sandy insisted. "But I can help you. We'll have to act fast, but I think we can get a few people to our side if—"

"I don't need your help," Mel said.

"No, you don't understand," Sandy said. "You do. I'm your only chance."

"Wow, ever heard of Narcissus Syndrome?" Mel scoffed. "My only chance is myself and I think I did a pretty darn good job at showing the team why they need me."

"But!" Sandy insisted.

"I said, beat it," Mel snapped.

"Guys!" Teddy called. "Hurry up, we're leaving now!"

* * *

(Gazebo of Defeat)

The team had walked through the forest and over hills until they had arrived at another beach. Instead of having just a dock, this shore had a wooden set of stairs that led up to a covered gazebo. They walked up to find ten seats waiting for them and Chris McClean standing in the center.

"Welcome, first losers!" he greeted. "This is the Gazebo of Defeat."

The ten sat down in the seats.

"Now, this season instead of just voting, we're going to be taking some time to answer questions," Chris said. "I dunno, apparently all the reality shows are doing it, and we don't want to be left behind."

"Ooh, ooh, pick me!" Teddy exclaimed. "I want to answer a question! Me, me, me!"

"Okay, fine, Teddy," Chris said, "why do you think you lost?"

"Oh wait, we lost?" Austin exclaimed. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"Yes, Austin, you lost," Chris said, "now if you could please wait your turn."

"Well, it wasn't anyone's fault in particular," Teddy said.

"Ha, lies," Mel scoffed as she jerked her thumb towards Randall.

"Mel, wait your turn," Chris said.

"So anyways, yeah, I guess it just wasn't our lucky day," Teddy said.

"Hm, if you say so," Chris said. "Now…Karly, how do you feel about your team?"

"I think that it's a very nice group of people," Karly said. "With a few exceptions."

"Yeah, like the people who do more damage than anything useful," Mel said, again looking at Randall.

"Mel, did I call your name?" Chris said with frustration. "Okay…Brienne, Karly mentioned a few exception in her happy little family, who do you think she's talking about?"

"Chris, in all honesty I can be bothered to even learn the names of these chumps, let alone who doesn't like whom," Brienne scoffed.

"I see," Chris said. "Linus, how do you think today went?"

"Could have been better," Linus said. "But all in all, I think most people tried their best."

"Oh for the love of God," Mel scoffed. "I was trying my best, that's it, the rest of you were just—"

"Mel!" Chris snapped. "I did not ask you a question."

"Well, you'd better ask me one, because I've got a lot to say," Mel said.

"Fine, what are you so unhappy about, Mel?" Chris asked.

"Oh, where to begin?" Mel exclaimed. "This day has been horrible. Everyone here is either a total idiot or completely bonkers. I have to put up with them and all their pathetic like problems. Of course we lost, I could see that coming a mile away. And just when I think I'm going to get three minutes to myself, this girl comes over to me telling me that _I _need _her_ help."

"Wait a minute. Sandy, you were trying to help Mel?" Karly asked.

"Well, you could say that," Sandy said. "I just felt bad and thought I could—"

"Oh yeah, she was determined to try and be Miss High and Mighty," Mel continued to rant. "Telling me some moronic lie about how everyone wants me gone and she's the only one who can save me."

"Well…those weren't…I mean…that wasn't exactly," Sandy stuttered.

"So, let me get this straight," Chris said. "Karly, you wanted to vote out Mel, but Sandy, you wanted to save her?"

"Why would you do that, Sandy?" Karly asked. "We all know that Mel was bringing down our team, why would you want to save her of all people from elimination?"

"Okay, okay, I was just trying to be nice," Sandy said angrily. "I can't help it, it's who I am. But I can see now that Mel doesn't deserve it and will be happy to vote her out."

"Alright then, I think it's time we vote," Chris said. "You can cast your vote in that booth there. The person with the most votes will walk the Walk of Losers and board the Fanboat of Shame. "

An ominous chord hit. Then the campers lined up to vote.

* * *

(Later)

"Okie-dokie," Chris said. "I have your votes tallied and it's time to find out who the biggest loser is. Now, we've decided to cut back on the marshmallows, and the pinecone thing wasn't exactly the most exciting, so we dug around in the abandoned studio for something a little cooler…and all we ended up with were some fancy lights. So, if I call your name you will be saved by the Green Light of Safety. Ahem…first up…Marion."

A green light shone down on Marion's seat.

"Portia."

"Brienne."

"Austin."

"Linus."

"Teddy."

"Karly."

"Annnndddd…Randall."

This just left Sandy and Mel without a light shining on them.

"I'm sorry, Mel, I really did try to help," Sandy said.

"Save your sorry's, I'm not going anywhere," Mel said.

"And the final green light of the night," Chris said, "goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Mel!"

"Told you so," Mel said smugly as the line shone down on her.

"Sandy, you are today's loser," Chris said.

"That's what I get for being too nice," Sandy pouted.

"The rest of you may head back to the field," Chris said. "And try to get some sleep."

The team departed from the gazebo, leaving Sandy alone with Chris.

"Okay, I know the drill," Sandy said. "Walking the walk, get on the boat, never return again."

"Actually, that's not quite so," Chris said. "Last season on Total Drama Stranded we had a twist that turned out to be quite a success so we're bringing it back…if you'll just follow me."

Chris guided Sandy down the Walk of Losers that lead down to the lake. There they both got into a rickety fanboat. Chris turned it on and they soared along the lake. Sandy watched as the island disappeared from view, but then saw a new island appear on the horizon. This one was smaller, but still looked big enough to hold a wide terrain.

"Sandy, welcome to Not Quite Loser Island," Chris said as they stepped off into the sand. "Last season we had four idols hidden here that would bring whoever found them back into the game for the merge. This season there are some differences though. For starters, there are only two idols. And this time it's more than just a wild island, it's full of puzzles and riddles that you must solve to proceed further and find the idols."

Sandy stepped onto the sand and looked around. The sand soon turned to grass and led to some crystal like structures. The place looked like the ruins of some ancient civilization.

"You have until the merge to earn yourself a second chance," Chris said. "Oh and one word of advice…Don't think that just because you're here first, you have the advantage. There are several clues that might be missed upon first glance and left for someone else to find."

"Don't worry," Sandy said. "I'm going to do all it takes to get back into the game and win!"

"Well, good luck with that," Chris said as he got back on the fanboat and departed.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Karly-**Mel may be bad, but we know she's bad. Sandy betrayed my trust and I don't want to risk keeping her around.

**Linus-**Villains are bad, but there's only one thing that's worse…good guys who help villains. That's you, Sandy!

**Marion-**I'm not going to be creating any waves this time. Looks like Sandy shot herself in the foot.

**Mel-**I'm so angry, there's no way I could pick just one person who angered me the most. But I'll just go with the most recent: Sandy! Take a hint, I don't need your help and I certainly don't want it!

**Randall-**Mel was pretty mean to me today. I know that I'm probably going to be the one leaving, but I might as well vote for her.

**Austin-**So…I heard we're voting for Mel, so…I vote for her, I guess.

**Portia-**I don't think Sandy is who she says she is. If she really was nice she wouldn't want to save Mel over one of us.

**Sandy-**Mel, I'm sorry. We could have really helped each other out, but you had to ruin that.

**Brienne-**Sorry, Sandy, there's only one person who can try to pull clever moves and it's not you.

**Teddy-**I vote for Mel. She's mean and loud and unpleasant and I don't like her and she's really mean.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And that wraps up the very first challenge of Total Drama Strandarama," Chris said. "Sandy thought she had this game in her hands, yet things didn't go her way and it exploded in her face. Can she get a second chance? Only time will tell. In the meantime, has Mel only prolonged the inevitable, or can she avoid elimination again? Will Aloysius help out his team again, or will he go back to being a bossy prick? All this and more on the next episode of Total…Drama…Strandarama!"

_Author's Note: And we have our first boot of the season. When I was creating the cast, Sandy did not immediately strike me as first boot material, however when I came up with the idea for the story I just thought it would work perfectly. And hey, don't forget, she's not out yet._


	3. Animal Animosity

_Author's Note: Back to Strandarama now. Like I mentioned on my other series, I'm going to probably be just hopping around writing whatever I feel inspired at the moment. However, I've included a team and boot list at the end of each episode to help keep track. Also, there's a poll for your favorite characters, right now Marion, Washigton, and Pedro have the lead; if you haven't voted yet, let your voice be heard!_

"Last time on Total Drama Strandarama," Chris exclaimed from the Gazebo of Defeat, "two teams arrived at the island and quickly began their first challenge. On the Ferocious Fields, Karly took charge and tried to keep her tribe rolling smoothly. However, Mel was more interested in causing a scene whenever any pissed her off…and believe me, it happened a lot. Over on the Tough Trees, things didn't seem to be going good at all, but then Aloysius surprised everyone by winning the challenge in a matter of seconds. Who knew he had it in him? And so it was the Ferocious Fields who had to vote someone out. While it was looking it a clear vote out for Mel, she managed to save herself by revealing that Sandy was trying to help her. The others realized that Sandy couldn't be trusted and turned the vote around on her. Sandy became the first camper to arrive at Not Quite Loser Island. So, how will today shape out? Will Karly and Pedro continue to take charge of their teams? Will Aloysius destroy the competition again? Find out right now on Total…Drama…Strandarama:

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Sandy wandered around the beach as the sun just cracked up into the sky. She came up to the mysterious ruins. Several fallen pillars seemed to be made of a glowing, cyan crystal. After following the ancient monuments she eventually came to a temple which was mostly intact.

"Bingo," she remarked as she approached the building.

She came up to a door, but found that it was sealed shut. She began feeling it to see if there was any way she could slide it open.

"Come on," she said. "Let's do this the easy way."

But the door refused to budge. Sandy's next attempt was to feel the walls around it for any switches or hidden buttons. Again, she came up with no luck.

"Hm, well, maybe this isn't the way I'm supposed to enter," she said to herself. "I'll just have to find another way in."

With that she began walking around the walls, searching for another entrance.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**I was the first one eliminated, and that kinda stings. I'm going to try my best to get a jumpstart on finding those idols. I won't give up until I have one!

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

"Well, that was the worst sleep I've ever had," Mel complained as everyone came out of the rickety shelter. "The ground was uncomfortable, the roof shook with every gust of wind, and someone was talking in their sleep…I'm looking at you, Teddy!"

"Okay, Mel, just chill," Karly said. "We all had the same experience last night."

"I will not 'chill,'" Mel grumbled. "Not until you people build a shelter that doesn't feel like it come crashing down and kill us all any second."

As the morning continued, the campers spread out around the field. Marion approached Brienne who was filing her nails on a rock.

"Hello, Brienne," he greeted.

"Come to bask in my glory?" Brienne asked. "I don't blame you, but if I line starts to form behind you, I may have to ask you to move along."

"Actually, I was more interested in forming an alliance," Marion said. "I want to take the majority of this tribe as soon as possible, and it would be a smart idea to get onboard. I can guarantee your safety."

"Hmm, interesting, interesting," Brienne said without taking her eyes off of her nails.

"So, are you in?" Marion asked.

"Well, I'll have to consider your offer after I hear everyone else's," Brienne replied.

"Everyone else's?" Marion asked.

"Duh," Brienne replied. "I've been expecting everyone to come rushing to my side as soon as this game started. Anyone would be blessed to have me in an alliance with them, and I can't just give that blessing to you simply because you asked first."

"I can assure you, I know what I'm doing," Marion said. "If you say yes, I can take you right to the end with me."

"Okay, you've done your little spiel," Brienne said. "Now, be gone."

"I'll be back in thirty minutes," Marion said. "I'll be surprised if you have even one ally by then."

With that Marion let Brienne. The beautiful girl scoffed as she got up and walked in the other direction. She found Austin setting up stones in some odd pattern. He seemed very intent on what he was doing.

"Say, Austin," Brienne said in her most seductive voice possible, "I was wondering if you'd like to—"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Austin said without turning around.

"Ha, shows what you know, Marion," Brienne laughed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**My goal is to align with people who are pathetic or delusional enough that they can't help but say yes. Once I gain a majority out of the idiots on this team, this game will be mine.

**Brienne-**I am such a goddess. I can get boys on my side when they aren't even looking at me; my allure is just that strong.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Renada returned to her camp from the woods. She was carrying several bunches of fruit that she dumped on a rock.

"And what are you doing?" Aloysius asked her.

"What does it look like?" Renada spat. "I'm getting food."

"I already provided more than enough food for us," Aloysius said as he pointed to the pile he had accumulated the day before.

"Yeah, well, I'm get more," Renada said. "Some people like to do work for themselves."

"How ungrateful," Aloysius scoffed. "I lower myself to your level and you just reject my gifts."

"Okay, guys, let's all stay calm," Pedro said as he got between the two. "Aloysius, I was meaning to talk to you."

"Very well," Aloysius said as he walked off with Pedro.

Renada just narrowed her eyes at him as he left. Meanwhile, Yu had found Ferris sitting under a tree.

"Good morning, Ferris!" she exclaimed brightly.

"Hello, Yu," Ferris said with a slight smile.

"How are you feeling today? I hope you're doing well," Yu said.

"I'm fine," Ferris replied.

Yu sat down next to her and continued to smile.

"You know, Yu, you don't have to spend all your time with me," Ferris said. "There are plenty of nice people on this team who I'm sure would love to be your friend too."

"But I don't want you to be alone," Yu said.

"It's fine," Ferris said. "I actually enjoy a little time to myself in the mornings."

"Okie-dokie, as long as you don't mind," Yu said as she got up.

Yu then walked over to Florence who seemed to be looking up.

"Hi, Florence," Yu greeted. "How are you?"

"Doing good," Florence said. "Rocky was just trying to meet some new friends."

Yu looked up and where Florence was pointing to see Rocky at the top of a tree with several birds perched on her arms.

"It's so dear to meet all of you," Rocky exclaimed to her new friends. "So tell me, Ms. Hyacinth Macaw, how did your eggs turn out?"

"Caw!" replied the blue bird.

"The all hatched!?" Rocky gasped in excitement. "Congratulations!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**After yesterday I've had to reconsider how I'm going to position everyone on this team. Aloysius proved that he is the most valuable, and therefore I shall make him my vice president. Rocky is also quite useful, I may make her my junior vice president.

**Ferris-**I'll admit, Yu is actually growing on me; she's a really nice girl. However, I'm not the most fun and I don't want her to spend her whole time out here just trying to brighten my day. She needs friends who are more positive, like she is.

**Yu-**My goal is to be friends with everyone on my team before the summer is over!

**Renada-**After the last challenge everyone starting flocking around Aloysius like he was a god, completely disregarding how he acted before all that. I'm the one who's actually working hard to pull my weight here, but do I get any credit? No!

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

"Okay, guys, today we gotta try hard, and I mean really, really, really hard!" Teddy exclaimed. "Today we gotta win, we gotta try our best, we gotta show the other team that we're the best, cause we are!"

"Oh my god, just shut up," Mel groaned as she rubbed her head.

"Mel, Teddy isn't even doing anything wrong," Karly pointed out.

"He's irritating me," Mel declared. "I already had to spend a night of him muttering about bacon and kicking me in his sleep. I'd just like one minute without hearing him speak."

"Oh, that sounds like a challenge," Teddy exclaimed. "Cool, I'll try."

Teddy then inhaled and began holding his breath. A few seconds past and he began darting his eyes from side to side. Finally he exhaled.

"Okay, couldn't do it, too hard, but I'm going to keep trying, cause I don't give up, nope, not me, that's not my style," Teddy exclaimed.

From the side, Portia just sighed.

"You alright?" Linus asked.

"Oh, yes," Portia said. "I just wish that everyone could get along."

"All the more reason to remove the evil of this tribe!" Linus exclaimed.

"Attention campers!" Chris's voice blared. "It's time for your next challenge, meet me at the beach!"

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, so excited!" Teddy exclaimed.

"I couldn't tell," Mel said dryly.

"Really? Wow, I guess I wasn't trying hard enough," Teddy exclaimed. "Here, I'll try harder. Ahem…SO EXCITED!"

As the team got up to leave, Marion approached Brienne.

"So, reconsidered my offer yet?" Marion asked.

"Nope," Brienne replied. "Allow me to introduce my new ally…this guy."

"Hi," Austin greeted.

"You aligned with Brienne?" Marion asked.

"Um, apparently," Austin said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, well…good for you," Marion said. "And here's my ally, Randall…Randall, get over here!"

"Coming…oof!" Randall exclaimed before tripping over a rock and falling to the ground.

"Hm, interesting pick," Brienne remarked. "Let me know how that works out for you."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**Coming here I knew that it wasn't going to be a picnic in the park, but still, I wish there would be a little less yelling on my team.

**Teddy-**(holding his breath again)…(his face turns red)…(exhales)…still can't do it! But I was close, I was really, really, really close!

**Austin-**So, I guess I have an alliance now? But that's not important. What's important is I think I saw some of these stones moving, I think they might be trying to tell me something! Come on, little guys, do it again…(nothing happens)…well, I know what I saw.

**Marion-**Brienne will come around soon enough and realize that I'm the best option for her. I can't imagine Karly or Linus taking her into an alliance.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

"So, Aloysius, I wanted to invite you into a coveted position on my team," Pedro said. "I respect what you bring to this tribe, and I'm willing to make you my number two out here."

"Ha, I don't play second fiddle to any commoners like you," Aloysius scoffed.

"Okay, okay, we can worry about the titles later," Pedro said. "But I think that we can work well with each other."

"You're boring me," Aloysius yawned. "I have no interest in your petty little plans."

With that, Aloysius walked off. Meanwhile, Betty was pacing around writing more notes on cuecards and talking to herself.

"Okay, okay, Betty, time to make your move," she said to yourself. "Yesterday was a bit of a fail, but it's all good, you're still here and you have another chance to win people over. Now, let's see…hm, what sounds better, 'eternal allegiance' or 'professional companionship?'"

"Mm…companionship," Washington answered from the side.

"Thank you," Betty exclaimed as she kept writing.

Then she paused and turned back to Washington.

"I'm not a moron, or anything," Betty explained. "I mean, I could have made that decision on my own, I just wanted a second opinion, is all."

"Okay," Washington replied.

"Alright, let's do this," Betty exclaimed as she stepped forward.

She found Drew sitting by himself on a rock and looking out in a daze.

"Ahem, hello, teammate," Betty greeted. "I believe that it is in both of our interests to join in an eternal allegiance…er, scratch that, I meant to say a professional companionship. For you see, now is the time when people who make moves can make their plan to the end, and we don't want to be left in the—you know, I think I like eternal allegiance better, yeah, let's go with that. Okay, now I'm not going to start again, but just make that change mentally. Anyways, if you accept me as an ally I promise to be loyal and do whatever it takes to keep both of us in the game. What do you say?"

Drew remained silent.

"If you hate me, at least say something!" Betty cried.

"Huh, were you…uh, talking to me?" Drew asked. "I was busy thinking about how it's…um, almost time for Fedric's thirteenth birthday which…uh, means he will be going on his...whatchamacallit, pilgrimage So yeah, what were you, uh…saying?"

"Oh, nothing," Betty exclaimed nervously. "Nothing at all of importance."

"Attention, campers!" came Chris's announcement. "It's time for your next challenge, meet me at the beach!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**I'm not too worried about Aloysius. He's too proud to agree to working with me, but hey, votes are votes.

**Aloysius-**Pedro is a speck of dust that needs to be brushed away. Who does he think he is, dressing in formal attire? I bet he got that at a thrift shop.

**Betty-**(sighs in relief) That was a close one. Can you believe I almost said all that ridiculous dribble to Drew? He'd probably never want to work with me after hearing that. In fact, he'd probably want to vote me out as soon as possible! (begins erasing her notes) I need to work on these for sure!

* * *

(The Beach)

Both team arrived on either side on the beach. Chris McClean stood in the middle with a series of locked cages behind him.

"Welcome, campers to your next challenge," Chris exclaimed. "This one will be the first reward challenge of the season, so you're all safe for another day."

Most people sighed in relief. Not Mel, though.

"You mean I have to put up with all these nuisances for another day!?" she snapped. "Ugh, give me a break."

"Here's how the challenge will work," Chris said. "Behind me I have nine animals of all different sorts. Some of them are cute and fluffy, some of big and vicious. One person from each team will have to step forward and try to get the beast back in its cage. You'll have no way of knowing what you'll face, it's all luck of the draw."

"Oh my," Portia remarked. "This challenge could be quite difficult."

"Bah, I say bring it on," Renada said from the other team.

"Oh, and one more thing," Chris said. "Tough Trees, you have one extra member, so someone will be sitting out."

"That will be me," Aloysius said as he left the group.

"What!?" Pedro gasped. "You're our strongest asset. We need your help."

"It's reward," Aloysius pointed out with disdain. "No doubt we'll be getting some coconuts or a copy of Chris's exercise DVDs. In all honesty, I could care less."

"And now to reveal your reward," Chris said. "These luxury blankets and pillows for your camps!"

"I changed my mind!" Aloysius exclaimed. "You have to win!"

"Thanks for the support," Pedro grumbled under his breath.

"Okay, let's get started," Chris exclaimed. "Who is first from each team?"

"Ooh, ooh!" Teddy exclaimed, "Memememememe! It has to be me!"

"I got this," Renada said as she stepped forward.

"And let's see what's behind door number one," Chris said as he opened a cage and quickly moved aside.

The two campers waited for their target to emerge. A small white hen came waddling out of the cage.

"That's it?" Renada scoffed. "That's no challenge."

"Hey, little, chick-chick-chicken," Teddy exclaimed. "Come over here, come over here, over here, come on, come on, over here."

The chicken did not seem to want to be picked up by Teddy and sped up. The boy began chasing the bird around in circles.

"Come on, come on," Teddy continued to coax as he followed after the bird. "I'm not going to hurt you, come on, what's wrong, come on."

Renada rolled her eyes. Then she picked up Teddy and tossed him aside. Teddy slid through the sand and Renada grabbed the hen by the neck.

"There," she said as she tossed it back in the cage. "Done."

"Aw man," Teddy moaned. "This sucks, this so totally sucks."

"One point for Tough Trees, no points for Ferocious Fields," Chris said. "Time for round two."

"Let me handle this," Mel said as she stepped forward. "I'll show you how it's done."

"I suggest Rocky," Florence said to his team. "Her connection with animals should help out."

"Good idea," Yu exclaimed.

Rocky stepped forward.

"Alright guys, get ready for the second animal," Chris said as he opened the cage.

A large, grey rhinoceros charged out.

"Whoa, that is not going to be easy," Karly remarked.

"Why couldn't I have gotten something like that?" Renada grumbled.

The rhinoceros snorted with fury as it glared at the two girls. Both of them seemed a bit nervous at what they were facing.

"Go on, Rocky, talk to it," Pedro called.

"Right, yes," Rocky said. "Uh, hello, Mr. Rhinoceros, how are you feeling today?"

The rhinoceros snorted again before charging at Rocky.

"Aaaiiie!" Rocky cried as she ran away. "You are not a very nice rhino; what would your mama say?"

Mel meanwhile was working on getting the rhinoceros's attention. She was tossing stones and sticks at it, yet the beast seemed to only have its eyes set on Rocky.

"Come on, you dumb animal!" Mel shouted. "Charge this way!"

Rocky had started climbing up a tree by now. The rhinoceros slammed its horn into the trunk and the tree shook.

"Oh dear!" Rocky exclaimed as she clung to the tree.

Mel was pulling on the rhinoceros's tail now, but it still didn't notice her. Rocky seemed to get a new idea and began emitting a buzzing noise. Suddenly a swarm of bees emerged from the forest. They all clumped around the rhinoceros. The creature snorted in surprise as it was lifted off the guard by the team of insects.

"Bzzz, bzzz," Rocky directed.

The bees took the rhino over to the cage and dropped it back inside.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Swarm of Bees," Rocky exclaimed.

"And the Tough Trees get their second point," Chris said. "While the Ferocious Fields still have none."

"Way to show us how it's done," Marion mocked.

"Oh shut it!" Mel snapped. "That girl had freaky powers."

"It's time for round three," Chris said. "Who's next?"

"I will give it a try now," Yu said.

"Are you sure?" Ferris asked. "I'd hate to see you come up against something like that rhino."

"I'll have to go sometime," Yu said. "I might as well get it over with now. And I have my fingers crossed for the best."

"I'll give it a shot," Marion said. "It's about time someone on this team got a point."

"Round three begins now!" Chris exclaimed as he released the next animal.

A large green snake slithered out of the cage.

"Uh…that's not poisonous, is it, Chris?" Marion asked as he backed up.

"Don't be silly," Chris laughed. "That's a constrictor; they prefer to choke their victims to death."

"Much better," Marion remarked.

Neither contestant was eager to approach the snake, but it closed in on Marion.

"Okay, let's just take this easy," Marion said as he kept backing up.

The snake came up to Marion's leg and began slithering up.

"No, stop!" Marion shouted as he tried to pull it off.

"I'll help," Yu exclaimed as she began tugging at the snake's tail.

The snake continued to coil around Marion, though, tightening its grip.

"Get off," Marion grunted as he began wrestling with the snake.

Yu continued to tug, but the snake refused to let go. Marion grabbed a rock and began to smack it against the snakes head. The serpent got dizzy and loosened its grip. This allowed Marion to grab it and toss it into the cage.

"And the Ferocious Fields win their first point," Chris exclaimed. "But the Tough Trees are still ahead by one."

"I hope the snake's alright," Yu remarked.

"We're moving along to round four now," Chris said. "Who's up now?"

"I suppose I should offer some support to my team," Brienne remarked.

"Who do we want to send out next?" Pedro asked his team.

"How about Washington?" Florence suggested.

"Okay," Washington said as he stepped forward.

"And here is the fourth animal," Chris exclaimed as he released a brown horse from the cage.

"Oh perfect," Brienne exclaimed. "I happen to be an expert horseback rider. It's just one of my infinite talents."

Brienne approached the horse and tried to pull herself up. The horse struggled wildly and kicked her across the sand and into a tree. Washington shrugged and approached the horse. He reached out a hand and petted the horse on the nose. The horse whinnied before tamely walking back into the cage.

"And the Tough Trees extend their lead to three points versus one," Chris said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Brienne-**(Dusting herself off) Yeah, I totally could have done that, I just threw the challenge…because, uh…because I wanted to lull everyone into a since of security. And like, who needs blankets anyway?

* * *

"We're at the halfway point now," Chris said. "It round five, and the Tough Trees have the lead. Who's up now?"

"I will try," Portia offered. "I'll do the best that I can."

"Right, I guess I should go too, now," Betty said as she got up.

The two girls stepped to the center as Chris released the next animal. A small white bunny exited.

"Aw, that's adorable," Portia cooed.

"I got it, I got it!" Betty exclaimed as she chased after the rabbit.

The bunny immediately began scampering away in a panic.

"Come on, slow down!" Betty exclaimed as she awkwardly dived for the rabbit.

The small animal scurried under a log and buried itself out of Betty's reach.

"No, come out!" Betty exclaimed as she tried to reach under the log. "I need you if I want to win."

"I think you're scaring it," Portia said.

"Oh, right, of course," Betty exclaimed. "I'm so stupid. I'm so stupid!"

Portia grabbed some leaves and began shaking them in front of the log.

"Come on, little guy," Portia coaxed. "Come on out."

Carefully, the rabbit crept out and began nibbling on the leaves. Portia reached out her hand, and the rabbit came over to her curious. She let it climb onto her lap as she began to stroke it.

"Okay, I got it, I got it!" Betty exclaimed as she dived for the rabbit again.

The rabbit scampered away in terror while Betty ended up colliding with Portia.

"I'd rather you not do that," Portia said as she got up.

Portia approached the terrified rabbit again and managed to pick it up. She then carried it over to the cage and placed it inside.

"Congratulations, Portia," Chris said. "The Ferocious Fields get their second point, while the Tough Trees still hold the lead with three."

"Nice work, Portia," Karly said.

"Please, anyone could have caught a rabbit," Mel scoffed. "You're just lucky you got paired with the other team's biggest klutz."

"Time for round six," Chris said. "Keep on coming."

"I'll take my chances this time," Florence said as he said stepped forward.

"I might as well get this over with," Randall said. "If I'm going to lose, I might as well lose against one of the stronger members."

"Get ready for round six!" Chris exclaimed as he opened the next cage.

A furious brown bear burst out of the cage.

"Ack!" Randall cried in terror.

"That's…not good," Florence said.

The bear immediately ran up to Randall and smacked him aside. The boy slammed into a tree limply.

"Uh, let's stay calm," Florence said as he backed up from the bear again.

The bear swiped and Florence ducked.

"Okay, so we're not feeling calm," Florence said as he started to run.

Florence came up behind the bear, but the animal was starting to turn around to face him.

"One step at a time, let's just head this way," Florence said as he guided the bear backwards.

The bear snarled as it marched towards Florence.

"That's right, let's not do anything hasty," Florence said. "Just come along this way."

The bear charged at Florence. The boy dropped down in fear. The bear ended up leaping right over him and crashing into the cage.

"And Florence wins the Tough Trees' fourth point," Chris exclaimed. "They only need one more before they win. Can the Ferocious Fields recover with only two points right now?"

"Yes, we can!" Linus exclaimed as he stepped forward. "For JUSTICE shall always prevail over evil, and the Tough Trees are clearly made up of evil."

"I resent that remark," Ferris said as she stepped forward. "We'll see how right you are."

"Okay, here's round seven!" Chris exclaimed.

He opened the cage and a warthog trotted out. It snorted and growled at the two campers.

"If Ferris can win this then the Tough Trees will win their prize," Chris said. "But if Linus wins then the Ferocious Fields are still in."

"Alright, foul swine!" Linus exclaimed. "Prepare to kneel at the hands of JUSTICE! Your days of wanton goring are over for it's time—yikes!"

The warthog was charging at Linus by now.

"Okay, Ferris, just keep cool," Ferris said to herself. "This shouldn't be too hard. Especially compared to a bear."

The warthog had gotten one of its tusks through Linus's shirt and spun him around. It tossed the boy into the sand dizzily. It then turned to Ferris.

"Right, over here," Ferris said as she moved to the cage. "Come on."

The warthog charged at Ferris. She dived aside, but she moved too early and the warthog was able to stop before sliding into the cage.

"Darn," Ferris grumbled as the warthog turned its attention back to her.

The warthog was chasing her now. She moved quickly, trying to get out of its track.

"Surprise!" Linus exclaimed as he leapt onto the warthog. "Yeehaw!"

The warthog began to struggle, but Linus held on tightly.

"Like I said, there is no escape from JUSTICE!" Linus exclaimed. "And now you shall return to the prison where you belong."

Linus was able to guide the hog back into the cage and hop off.

"Good work, Linus," Chris said. "The Ferocious Fields earn a third point; the Tough Trees still have four. Now, who's up for round eight?"

"Austin, you still haven't gone," Marion said.

"In a minute, I think these rocks are spelling something to me," Austin said. "It's either, 'doom to everyone' or 'do me a favour.'"

"Now," Mel snapped as she grabbed him and threw him out.

"Drew, how about you give it a shot?" Florence asked his friend.

"I suppose," Drew said. "I have, uh…often daydreamed about, uh…winning the rodeo, so…uh, I should know what I'm, you know…doing."

Drew and Austin arrived in the center of the beach.

"Here it is," Chris exclaimed, "round eight!"

Chris opened the cage and a seal hopped out eagerly.

"Ooh, cool," Austin exclaimed.

"I wonder if it knows any…uh, mermaids," Drew said.

"Mermaids are real?" Austin exclaimed.

"No," Drew replied.

"Aw, way to get my hopes up," Austin pouted.

The seal quickly leapt towards the lake.

"You're not getting away," Drew said as he chased after it.

Drew dived after seal and managed to grab onto its tail. However, the seal had reached the water and was swimming rapidly through it.

"Whoa!" Drew cried as he was dragged through the water.

"Hm…" Austin said thoughtfully as he watched. "This is going to require an overly complex trap…I was saying it for a ghost, but this will do too."

Austin quickly ran to side and began grabbing various materials from the ground.

"Let's see, a little of this, some of that," Austin said as he grabbed sticks and vines and began wrapping them together.

Meanwhile, Drew was still being dragged through the water.

"Oof…ow…ouch," he exclaimed as he bounced along the lake. "Could you…maybe…uh, slow down?'

The seal showed no sign of obeying. Austin was starting to put something together at the edge of the shore.

"Okay, seal, catch this!" Austin exclaimed as he threw out a vine.

The seal leapt out of the water and eagerly grabbed the vine in its mouth.

"Um…what exactly was the point of that?" Marion asked.

"Wait for it," Austin said.

The seal pulled the rope, which caused several rocks to be pulled into the water, which caused water to splash up and ring a bell, which knocked several more pebbles down a tube that Austin had fashioned. The pebble dropped down and landed on a stick. The pressure caused the stick to snap, and the attached vine to snap forward. This caused a sudden pull on another vine which Austin had attached to the cage. The cage sprung forward and landed on the seal.

"And Austin catches the seal!" Chris exclaimed. "Catching up with four points."

"What all of that even necessary?" Marion asked.

"Who cares? At least we've tied up the score," Karly pointed out.

"And now it's time for the final round," Chris said. "And by process of elimination that leaves Pedro against Karly."

The two stepped forward.

"Remember, Pedro, I want those blankets," Aloysius said.

"Who cares what you want? I want them more!" Mel shouted.

"The final round," Chris exclaimed, "begins now!"

He opened the cage and a small yellow canary fluttered out.

"Oh, this shouldn't be tough," Pedro said as he stepped forward.

He reached up to grab the bird, but it just remained out of his grasp.

"My turn," Karly said as she jumped up and tried to grab the bird.

She only ended up falling on top of Pedro. The bird, meanwhile, had flown over to a tree and had landed on a branch. The two campers got up and looked at the tree. The bird was quite a bit out of reach.

"Time to go up," Karly said as she began to pull herself up the tree.

"You're not getting ahead of me," Pedro said as he tried to climb up the other side of the tree.

Karly took the lead in the race, while Pedro fumbled and scaling the tree. The bird was grooming itself now and didn't seem to notice either of them. Karly was closing in on it. She had reached the branch and was trying to grab the bird. The canary spotted her and took off again.

"No," Karly exclaimed.

But the bird was leaving. Karly began climbing back down, while Pedro just slid down to the ground.

"Come here, little birdy," Pedro said as he followed the flying canary.

The bird had moved to another tree by now. Pedro immediately started to climb. Karly was coming up from behind him, though. Karly quickly reached the tree and followed after Pedro. Both of them were making good progress this time. Pedro had the lead, but Karly was just behind him.

"Here, birdy, birdy," Pedro said as he reached out his hand.

The canary began pecking at his fingers.

"Ow, ow, cut it out!" Pedro snapped.

However, his grip loosened and he stumbled back down to the sand. The bird had left yet, though, and Karly was coming up at it.

"Gotcha!" she exclaimed as she grabbed from either end.

She managed to keep a firm grasp on the bird as she returned to the ground. She reached the cages and placed the bird inside.

"And Karly wins the final point for the Ferocious Fields!" Chris exclaimed. "You guys have won these sleeping luxuries!"

"Hooray!" Portia cheered.

"Yesyesyesyes!" Teddy exclaimed.

"I knew we'd do it," Brienne said.

"Ugh, failure," Aloysius scoffed at his team. "I cannot stand it."

"Well, maybe you could have helped then," Pedro pointed out.

"He's just a prick," Renada said. "He's no good for this team."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Renada-**Aloysius may be strong, but I'm the one who's actually working. It just proves why I am more valuable to my team than him.

**Pedro-**Hm, I'm going to have to work on Aloysius's attitude if he's going to be my vice president.

**Washington-**We lost. Too bad.

**Portia-**Hooray, we won, now this shelter can feel a little bit more like home.

**Brienne-**You see, I knew exactly what I was doing. I don't seem like a threat, and we still won the prize. That was exactly the way I planned it.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

The team returned to find that their shelter now was filled with cushy blankets and fluffy pillow.

"Hooray!" Teddy exclaimed as he began hopping on the blankets. "Ooh, ooh, pillow fight!"

"Bah," Mel remarked. "These are low quality fabrics. I wouldn't be surprised to find us covered in rashes after one night."

"Would it kill you to stop complaining about things?" Karly groaned. "Can't you just enjoy our victory?"

"I'll only stop complaining when there's nothing to complain about," Mel said. "So get working on that!"

Meanwhile, Brienne was approaching Marion.

"So, I couldn't help but notice that your partner was taken out in less than three seconds," Brienne said. "Makes me wonder how valuable this alliance actually is?"

"You're one to talk," Marion replied. "Considering how you were smacked into a tree by a horse."

"I did that on purpose," Brienne replied nonchalantly.

"Sure you did," Marion said with a small smile.

"Yeah, all part of my master plan," Brienne said. "Which you can't know about since you're not in my alliance."

"So, Austin knows about it then?" Marion asked.

"Eh, there's no point in talking to that kid," Brienne said. "It's all in one ear and out the other."

"Well, good luck with him then," Marion said as he left her.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Brienne-**My plan is already working. Marion thinks I'm just another ditz. But will he think that when I vote him out of here? I think not.

**Marion-**Yep, still delusional as ever.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

"It's okay, guys," Yu exclaimed. "Everybody has to lose some time."

"That's loser talk," Renada grunted. "Don't go infecting the team with that."

"You're not going to be happy if you focus on the negatives like that," Yu said.

"Good, there's nothing to be happy about losing," Renada said as she marched away from the group.

"Well, I still think we were pretty close," Pedro said to the group. "And maybe next time Aloysius won't be the one to sit out. Hint, hint."

"Depends on my mood," Aloysius said with disinterest.

Pedro sighed in exasperation.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**Clearly I've got some work to do.

**Yu-**If we get upset every time we lose, then it's going to be a glum summer. The way I see it, there's always something to smile about.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And that does it for today," Chris said at the Gazebo of Defeat. "We have our first reward challenge and the Ferocious Fields come out on top. Will Pedro manage to get Aloysius to be more helpful, or is it a lost cause? Will either Marion or Brienne's alliance pull through? What more awaits the campers? Find out next time on Total…Drama…Strandarama"

(Not Quite Loser Island)

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**I've been searching all day and still no luck. I spent so much time examining anything that looked suspicious, that the day's nearly over. What a drag.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as Sandy arrived at the back of the temple.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed. "I've wasted my whole day just walking all this way, and to find nothing."

She took one last look at the wall, but didn't see a door or any other form of entrance.

"Hm, it's a long walk back," she remarked. "Looks like I'll be sleeping her for the night."

She made herself comfortable under a tree and sighed to herself. Then it started to rain.

"Great, just great," she grumbled. "What a perfect way to end this day."

* * *

**Teams:**

Ferocious Fields:

Karly-The Natural Leader

Marion-The Sadistic Strategist

Brienne-The Narcissus

_Sandy-The "Nice" Girl_

Portia-The Aristocrat

Linus-The Warrior of JUSTICE

Teddy-The Parakeet

Randall-The Epic Fail

Austin-The Paranormal Fan

Mel-The Loudmouthed Complainer

Tough Trees:

Pedro-The Businessman

Rocky-The Animal Whisperer

Drew-The Daydreamer

Florence-The Chill Guy

Betty-The Over-Thinker

Washington-The Nobody

Ferris-The Loner

Aloysius-The Badass in a Suit

Renada-The Dumb Muscle

Yu-The Ray of Sunshine

**Not Quite Loser Island: **Sandy


	4. Smog of War

_Author's Note: Hey everyone. So I decided that it might be a good time to take a break from Uber Drama Island and get back to some of my other projects. I don't know exactly how I'll spread out my time, but for now, here's another chapter of Strandarama!_

"Welcome back to Total Drama Strandarama," Chris greeted as he stood in the Gazebo of Shame. "Last time we had our first reward challenge. Despite the Tough Trees having Aloysius as a major powerhouse, the snob decided that he'd rather sit out; then to make matters worse, the team ended up losing. Pedro has been trying to spread out his business of the team, but Aloysius hasn't been too enthusiastic. Meanwhile on the Ferocious Fields Marion and Brienne both tried to one-up each other in strategy. Marion recruited Randall while Brienne "persuaded" Austin to join up with her. Where will everything turn to next? Find out right now on Total…Drama…Strandarama!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Sandy woke up, soaking wet.

"Hm, this won't do," she said to herself as she tried to shake out the water. "This won't do at all."

Sandy looked around at her surroundings. Aside from the massive temple behind her, everything else was just a usual forest.

"Looks like I've got some work to do," Sandy said as she began grabbing some branches.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**I think I may have jumped the gun a bit when I first got here. If I'm going to be spending half my summer here, I'm going to need some shelter. So, for today, that's what I'll be working on.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**I've fallen a bit behind schedule mostly because Aloysius has been difficult. He may not be cut out for this after all, but I can still make connections with the others.

* * *

Renada was currently punching a tree with fierceness.

"Urgh, ugh, ack!" she grunted with each jab.

"Good morning, Renada," Pedro greeted. "I…what are you doing?"

"Practicing," Renada answered bluntly.

"Um, okay then," Pedro said. "Listen, I just wanted to let you know that I've been impressed by your hardworking attitude."

Renada kept punching without turning around.

"And if you keep it up I think you'll be a strong contender for Vice President of this team," Pedro said.

"Huh?" Renada asked.

"Just keep up the good work," Pedro said as he left.

Meanwhile, Yu and Ferris were walking together between the trees.

"So, I take it you've been making new friends?" Ferris asked.

"Oh, absolutely!" Yu exclaimed. "Everyone on this team is just so nice. You should talk to some of them too."

"Heh, thanks but no thanks," Ferris said. "I'm sure they're very nice, but I just prefer to be by myself."

"Aw, but I think they'd really like to get to know you," Yu said.

"What's there to get to know?" Ferris shrugged. "I'm just another girl."

"Ah, Yu and…Ferris, was it?" Pedro exclaimed as he slid next to the two ladies. "I just wanted to extend to you and invitation to my alliance. You know, Rocky, right?"

"Hello!" Rocky exclaimed as she popped out of a bush. "Somebody call me?"

"Ah yes, Rocky, glad you're here," Pedro said. "I'm assigning you to watch over these girls. If they have any questions they can report to you, you can report to me, and I'll make a note. So, we're good?"

"Uh," Ferris began.

"Good," Pedro said as he turned to leave.

"Hi, underlings!" Rocky exclaimed as she waved at the two.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**People like Yu I'm okay with, but I'm still a little uncertain about guys like Pedro. Sure he wears a smile, but he's got his eyes on the prize too and I feel like that might make him more dangerous.

**Renada-**Hmph about time I got some recognition.

**Yu-**Yay more friends!

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**Last night it rained and reminded us all how shoddy our shelter really is. It's just full of holes so we had a wet sleep. Kind of put a damper on our win…no pun intended.

* * *

The campers exited the shelter and shook off the water that had dripped onto them over the night.

"Okay, someone needs to fix that," Marion said. "I nominate myself."

"If you do that it'd be greatly appreciated," Karly said.

"Ooh, ooh, I can help too!" Teddy exclaimed. "I'm great helping and building and making shelters and then fixing shelters, yep, it's true, please, please, please!"

"Yeah, yeah, you can help," Marion said as he began to climb up on top of the shelter.

As the team spread out over the camp, Austin went to the forest. He immediately went to work on building some complex trap. He had ropes tied to trees and rocks weighing down nets and all sorts of contraptions.

"There, that should do it for now," he muttered to himself.

He turned around and came face to face with Linus.

"Okay, we need to talk," Linus said.

"Talk? What about?" Austin asked. "I'm kinda busy looking for monsters and stuff."

"Oh you know all about monsters, wouldn't you…seeing as how you're aligned with one!" Linus exclaimed.

"Huh, I am?" Austin asked.

"Don't play dumb, I saw you talking with Brienne," Linus said.

"Brienne's a monster?" Austin gasped. "Why didn't someone tell me? I would have actually cared about aligning with her then. So, what's her deal? Turns into a wolf at night? Drinks the blood of her victims?"

"Yes," Linus answered, "…in a metaphorical sense…by which I mean, she's evil! She's a devious, sneaky, villain, I can see it just by looking at her! And if you're aligned with her then that makes you an enemy of JUSTICE!"

"Oh…well, I'll keep that in mind," Austin said.

"You've been warned," Linus said while glaring as he backed up.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Linus-**It's clear that Austin has already been corrupted by the darkness. What can you expect from someone who dedicates all their time to ghosts, though? But he doesn't realize what a mistake he's making!

**Austin-**Yeah, Linus or Brienne, it makes no different really. I just want to stay in this game until I can come to a conclusive theory about the paranormal activity. Until then I'll just stick with whoever can keep me safe.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Florence and Drew were pacing through the forest together.

"Ah, this is the life," Florence remarked. "This is what I came here for. Just relaxing in the beauty of nature."

"Uh-huh, it's nice," Drew agreed.

"What about you, Drew?" Florence asked. "What did you out here for?"

"To win," Drew replied. "I'm gonna be a…uh, hero just like…that um…uh Wally the Centipede who uh…carried Lily Ladybug all the way home."

"I…see?" Florence said in confusion.

"It's about, uh…strength," Drew explained. "Wally was strong enough to, um…carry his friend home and I'm gonna…you know, be strong enough to, uh…carry on till the end."

"Ah, that makes sense," Florence said.

"Gentlemen!" Pedro exclaimed as he approached the two. "I just wanted to make sure that you're still with me."

"Huh?" Florence asked.

"The two of you looked like you could be strong assets to the team and I just want to offer you the protection of my alliance," Pedro said.

"Oh, yeah, uh sure," Florence asked while Drew nodded.

"Glad to hear it," Pedro said. "Naturally since you're new I can't put you right on top, but keep up the good work and you'll be climbing that ladder in no time."

Pedro then turned around and left the boys. It was long before he saw a gold blur running towards him.

"Pedro, oh, Pedro!" Betty exclaimed before slamming into him.

The two shook themselves off and got back up. Betty was clearly frazzled.

"What is it, Betty?" Pedro asked.

"Okay, okay," Betty said through deep breaths. "I heard a rumor that you were bringing people into your alliance and giving them catchy business titles and I realized that I wasn't in an alliance and I didn't have a catchy business title and so I said to myself, 'Betty, don't panic,'….AND THEN I PANICKED!"

She was shaking Pedro by the shoulders now.

"I'm next to go, aren't I!?" she cried. "Oh where did I go wrong? Oh wait, that's a stupid question; where didn't I do wrong!?"

"Betty, Betty, Betty, calm down," Pedro said. "It's fine, in fact I was just going to offer you a position in my alliance."

"Oh…you were?" Betty sighed. "Well, you can just forget about that whole trainwreck display you just saw. I swear, I'm not usually like that, it's just that when I get nervous I tend to overthink things and then—"

"We're happy to have you aboard," Pedro said. "You will be…Receptionist."

"I won't let you down!" Betty exclaimed while saluting.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**It's all about the pyramid scheme, you see. I want everyone to be a part of it, but I still need to put someone at the bottom.

**Betty-**Receptionist Betty reporting for duty!

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

Marion was finding that working with Teddy was making his job much harder than easier.

"Teddy," Marion called from on top of the shelter. "Can you pass me that stick over there?"

"This one!?" Teddy exclaimed as he tossed a stick at Marion.

"No," Marion said as he brushed it away. "The one over—"

"This one?!" Teddy exclaimed while tossing another. "This one? This one? This one?"

He just kept throwing sticks at Marion until the boy was buried beneath them.

"Thanks for the help," Marion grumbled.

"Yay!" Teddy cheered. "You're welcome!"

Meanwhile, Randall had sat down on a rock. He sighed to himself.

"Do you have to do that so close to me!?" Mel snapped.

"I'm sorry," Randall sighed as he got up.

"Okay, what did Randall even do this time?" Karly asked.

"He's being Randall," Mel declared. "This kid is a magnet for disaster and I want to be out of his radius."

"It's true," Randall said. "Bad things always gravitate towards me."

At that moment a strong gust of wind snapped a branch off of a tree. The branch ended up knocking Randall to the ground.

"Like that," Randall sighed.

"Hey, everybody!" Portia announced as she returned from the forest. "Look at what I got!"

She revealed several fish speared on her pike.

"Wow, Portia, did you get all those by yourself?" Karly exclaimed.

"Mhm," Portia said with a proud smile. "I knew I could do it if I kept trying, and I thought we could use a little more food for breakfast."

"Good job," Karly said. "Glad to know some people are carrying their weight."

"I could have done that," Brienne said with her attention on her nails. "I just didn't feel like it. I'm not really getting a lot of respect vibes right now, you know."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**I really wanted to prove to everyone that I'm not just a sweet girl in a dress. Yes, they've all been wonderful so far, but if we start to lose I don't want them to think that I'm a liability. I need to prove my worth.

**Karly-**I'm really thankful that we've got Portia on this team. Not only is she nice, she's actually doing stuff. Unlike some of the people who just sit around and complain all day.

* * *

(Later)

Chris stood in the middle of the forest. Around him were various types of obstacles, such as blockades and trenches. The two teams were approaching from either side.

"Welcome, campers, to your next challenge!" Chris exclaimed. "This one is for immunity so watch out, one of you will be going home tonight."

"I sure hope that isn't me!" Teddy exclaimed. "Nope, not one bit."

"Yes, well," Chris continued, "today's challenge will be a war between the two teams. As you can see here, these obstacles have been set up to be used for your advantage. And…"

Chris revealed a pile of sacks.

"You will each get one of these," he said. "They contain one weapon and all the ammo you need for it…don't worry, it's just exploding paint. But if you get hit with the paint, you must leave the area immediately. The last one standing wins immunity for their team. Oh, and since there's no need for balance this time, Tough Trees, you may keep in everyone."

"Oh, very well," Aloysius remarked. "It looks like my team will have to depend on me once again."

"Oh, and one more thing," Chris said.

He then pulled out a large flare gun and pointed it upwards. He fired and it burst into a dark smoke. The darkness continued to spread all through the sky.

"Just to add a little atmosphere," Chris remarked once it was as dark as night. "Okay, begin!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**I suppose I'll have to keep my team from losing once again. Not because I like them, but because they once again need to be reminded of my worth.

**Renada-**Finally, I get to hurt things again.

**Brienne-**I so got this. I'll just pull out my charm and no one will dare get paint on my precious skin.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Everyone grabbed their sacks and quickly sprinted out of the area. The team grouped up behind a blockade.

"So, let's see what we've got," Ferris said as she opened her sack and pulled out a bow.

"These look tough," Renada said as she revealed several spears with a paint packet at the end.

"Okay, people, let's plan out our gameplan," Pedro said.

"We hurt them, that's the plan," Renada said.

"Hey, where'd Aloysius go?" Yu asked.

Washington pointed upwards. Aloysius was already swinging from branch to branch with his pack of darts in hand.

"Well, at least he's ready for action," Pedro said. "For the rest of us, let's split up and try not to turn ourselves into easy targets."

Everyone nodded before heading up in separate directions.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

"Hm…" Austin said as he paced around looking at the trees.

"What?" Marion asked. "Do you have an idea?"

"I think one of my monster traps might come in handy here," Austin said. "But I'll need some time. Can you guys cover for me?"

"You expect me to take a bullet for you?" Marion scoffed.

"It might be worth it," Karly said. "His little traps have helped us out before."

"Fine, fine," Marion said.

Austin climbed up a tree while Karly and Marion held their weapons from behind blockages. From there, Karly spotted Brienne sitting on a rock out in the open.

"Brienne, what are you doing?" Karly hissed. "Get to cover."

"Don't worry about me, I'm good," Brienne said. "I'm a master of manipulation. If anyone tries to take me out, I'll just turn them against their own team."

Pedro hopped out of the bushes with a slingshot raised.

"Stop right there," Brienne said as she held out her hand.

Pedro stopped.

"You wouldn't risk damaging my perfection would you?" Brienne said.

"Uh…yeah, I would," Pedro said before shooting a pellet straight at Brienne's face.

It burst into orange paint all over her. Karly and Marion facedpalmed together.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Brienne-**Oh, Pedro is going to pay for that, he's just made a very dangerous enemy. In fact, I'm going to vote him out tonight. I don't care if he's on a different team, I'll find a way.

* * *

(Linus)

Linus held his musket close as he stepped through the forest.

"Oh those guys aren't going to know what hit'em," he said to himself. "They wouldn't know what JUSTICE was if it shot them in the face. Which I intend to."

Linus saw a blur run through the shadows. He fired at it, but didn't hit anything.

"Who's there?" Linus called. "You can't fight JUSTICE!"

Aloysius dropped down behind him.

"Ugh, peasant," he scoffed before tossing a dart into Linus's back. It exploded into orange paint. Linus whirled around, but Aloysius was already running up the side of a tree and disappearing into the darkness.

"You'll pay for this, villain!" Linus shouted.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**Really, this is just too easy. But that's what I get for playing with commoners.

* * *

(Betty)

Betty was clutching her paint grenade desperately. She paced back and forth around a tree.

"Okay, Betty, you can do this," she told herself. "What's the worst that could happen if things go wrong? I mean, yeah, I'd be covered in pain, big deal…and everyone would probably hate me and then vote me out and then—"

"Surprise!" Teddy exclaimed as he fired as crossbow at her.

"Aaaiiieee!" Betty screamed as she ducked just in time to miss being hit.

She immediately began sprinting as fast as she could.

"Ha ha ha, I'm gonna get you, yep, you can't run forever!" Teddy laughed as he fired wildly after Betty.

"No, I'm too young to die!" Betty cried as green paint splattered all around her.

She slammed right into Washington.

"Take him instead!" she shouted as she tossed Washington behind her. "Just let me live!"

"Hm…okay!" Teddy said as he hit Washington in the chest.

"Oh…I'm out," Washington sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Teddy-**Woo, this is fun, I'm going to make everything green cause green's a really pretty colour and it's the colour of grass and leaves and barf! (begins shooting his crossbow all around the confessional)

**Washington-**…Why is this room green?

* * *

(Pedro)

Karly was shooting her bow at Pedro. The boy had to shuffle from tree to tree, bush to bush, just to avoid being hit. Marion came from a different direction and threw a spear at him. The spear exploded into green paint that just missed splattering over Pedro. Pedro dived into a trench and carefully inched himself through it. Eventually he came across Yu and Florence. Yu was using her paint to colour Florence's nails orange.

"There, those are just so dainty and pretty now," Yu said.

"Um, what are you two doing?" Pedro asked. "Need I remind you that we're in the middle of a challenge?"

"Oh, that's okay," Florence said. "Yu and I just decided that the best offense was a good defense. So we're taking a non-violent approach and just hiding out here."

"Yeah, wanna join us?" Yu asked.

"Look, we're not going to win if we don't take out some more of the others," Pedro said as he began climbing out.

"But they can't win if they can't find us," Florence pointed out.

* * *

**Confessional: **

**Yu-**I'm not a fan of violence, but luckily there's always a passive way to deal with things.

**Pedro-**Hm, those two really aren't putting their heart into the challenge. Such a shame, I had high hopes.

* * *

(Drew)

Drew was wandering through the woods at a leisurely pace. He stopped to examine a red mushroom growing beneath a tree.

"Oh, neat," he said to himself. "I wonder if any…uh, Gnomes are in the…um, area."

"Take this, freak!" Mel exclaimed as she charged towards Drew with her fling.

She flung her shot and it hit Drew right in the chest. Green paint covered his chest and shirt.

"Oh…drag," Drew remarked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Drew-**The average gnome live to…uh, 13 in gnome years which is the equivalent to 55 in, um…you know, human years.

**Mel-**Naturally while the rest of my team is worried about building traps or painting everything green I'm the only one getting anything done.

* * *

(Portia)

Portia had been given a small pistol for her weapon. She moved daintily while keeping her gun ready.

"Alrighty, Portia, it's time to show these people that I'm not just sugar and everything nice," she said to herself.

She spotted some movement and began firing at it. She saw Rocky trying to escape.

"Uh-oh, not good," Rocky said to herself as she tried to escape.

"Not so fast!" Portia exclaimed while chasing after her. "I'm going to get you!"

"Oh, Mr. Chameleon!" Rocky called out. "Could you bring the Missus and the kids?"

A chameleon landed on Rocky's head. Then she was swarmed by a massive herd of the lizards. Once she was covered, she began to disappear until she was completely blended in with her surroundings.

"Hey, where'd you go!?" Portia called as she began firing randomly.

She didn't hit anything. She sighed to herself and headed back.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**Well, I almost had her. I don't think it's very common for people to disappear in a swarm of lizards, though.

* * *

(Austin, Karly, and Marion)

"Oh yeah, this is going to be good," Austin said as he swung down and picked up some rocks.

He then climbed back up the tree where no one could see what he was doing. Karly and Marion were pacing around the area still. Karly had her arrowed ready to act, while Marion was holding another spear tightly. Both of them heard a noise and got tense. Both were ready to fire at the first sign of movement. Marion took a step forward, and suddenly, Aloysius appeared out from behind a bush. He threw a dart at Marion before disappearing again.

"What happened!?" Karly exclaimed as she spotted Marion covered in orange paint.

"I…don't even know," Marion said. "But apparently I'm out."

Karly looked around nervously.

"Austin, are you almost done?" Karly asked.

"Nah, it's going to take a little longer," Austin called back.

"Well, is there any way you could speed it up?" Karly asked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**The other team clearly has a powerful asset on their team. I'll have to prepare myself better for that the next time we face off.

**Austin-**Traps take time, they need to be perfect, they most certainly can't be rushed.

* * *

(Ferris)

Ferris walked alone in the woods with her bow pointed outward. She moved slowly and paused every few steps to examine her surroundings for any movement. Eventually she heard sometime and prepared to attack. It sounded like someone was running fast, straight for her. She readied her bow to fire. Just before she shot, though, she realized that it was just Betty running toward her.

"Betty?" Ferris asked in confusion.

"You have to save me!" Betty cried. "I'm being chased by a crazy person, I'm gonna die!"

Ferris looked around but didn't see anyone.

"Well, why don't you just try to stay hidden?" Ferris suggested.

"Alright, alright," Betty said frantically as she got underneath one of the shelters setup for them.

Ferris just sighed and shook her head.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**Honestly, I don't know what someone like Betty is doing out here. She can take five steps without freaking out over something.

* * *

(Mel)

Mel fired her sling at Pedro. Pedro dived behind a tree and retaliated with his slingshot. His shot exploded on a branch behind Mel.

"You're going to have to try harder than that," Mel said as she continued to fire. "I'm not letting you off the hook that easy!"

"We'll see," Pedro said before rolling to another tree and continuing to fire.

Mel moved to a closer position.

"I got you now," she said.

However, suddenly a bomb was tossed towards her. She dived out of the way just before it exploded into a mess of orange paint.

"You leave us alone, you meanie!" Yu exclaimed from the trench.

Mel began firing at her, but Yu quickly ducked back into the trench. Mel took a step forward, when Florence peeked up to fire a peashooter at her.

"I wouldn't come any closer, if I were you," Florence said.

Mel growled as she watched Pedro escape.

"This isn't over, I'll get you!" Mel said as she began firing furiously at the trench.

However, the two were safely protected and none of Mel's shots could hit them. Mel heard a noise from behind her and whirled around. Randall was stumbling through some brambles.

"Oof…oh…sorry," Randall mumbled as he tripped and fell until he had reached Mel.

"Great, just who I didn't want to see," Mel spat. "Can't you spread your disasters somewhere else."

"I'm sorry," Randall said as he turned to leave.

"No, wait come back," Mel ordered. "That's actually a good idea."

"What is?" Randall asked.

"This is," Mel said as she grabbed Randall and tossed him into the trench.

What followed was a series of crashes, smashes, and apologies. When Mel looked down into it, everyone was covered in paint of both colours.

"I'm sorry," Randall said to Yu and Florence.

"Well, I'm not," Mel said. "I've just taken out two of the opponents, plus the one guy on our team who was bound to do the most damage to us."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Yu-**While I don't approve of violence, I do approve of defending my friends.

**Mel-**Normally someone like Randall would only be seen as a hindrance-which he is-but luckily with my skill I am able to make a use out of even the most worthless members.

* * *

(Teddy)

Teddy was still running around the forest wildly, shooting at everything in his sight.

"Woo, take that tree, you're green now, well, actually, you already were somewhat green because your leaves are green, but now your bark is green too because I shot it with a green arrow!" he exclaimed as he fired his crossbow.

He continued to laugh as he ran, when suddenly he felt the ground shake.

"Huh, what was that?" he asked out loud. "Earthquake? Avalanche? Earthalanche?"

A burst of orange paint sprayed straight for him. Teddy quickly backflipped out of the way, just in time to avoid having a drop of paint land on his hat.

"Oh, that was a good shot, Mr. Elephant," Rocky said as she rode an elephant towards Teddy.

"Whoa, that's a real elephant!" Teddy exclaimed. "Even though most elephants live in Africa and we're not in Africa because we're in Canada and most elephants don't shoot orange paint out of the trunks even if they are on the wrong continent!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Rocky laughed. "Okay, go get him, Mr. Elephant."

The elephant sprayed again at Teddy.

"Wha!" Teddy cried before grabbing onto a branch and pulling himself out of the way just in time.

Teddy continued to flip, roll, and skid to avoid the elephants attack.

"Ha ha ha, can't touch me!" Teddy laughed.

However, he didn't see where he was going and slammed right into Renada.

"Grr," she grunted before using one of her spears to slam him into a tree.

Teddy fell to the ground covered in orange paint.

"There, he's out cold," Renada said.

"You know, why don't have to knock them out, just cover them in paint," Rocky pointed out as she slid off her elephant.

"I know, but he was annoying me," Renada said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Teddy-**When I get home I'm going to ask my Biology teacher if elephants could live in Canada and then I'm going to ask my Geography teacher if there's any way you could get an elephant from Africa to Canada and then I'm going to ask my Art teacher if it's healthy for elephants to drink so much orange paint!

* * *

(Ferris)

Ferris was once again alone. She could see some movement in the distance, though, and carefully moved to investigate. She kept her bow pointed on the silhouettes as she approached them. Once she had gotten close enough, she clung behind a tree. She could see Austin swinging between vines and working vigorously. She prepared her bow to fire at him. Suddenly, something whizzed just past her ear. She froze as an arrow landed in the ground behind her and exploded into green paint. Ferris pointed her bow down in the direction where the arrow had come from. She saw Karly also facing her with a bow. Both girls looked ready to shoot…however, at the last minute, Ferris dived behind a tree again.

"I'm not letting you get close to my team," Karly said.

Ferris made a dash for an escape. Karly fired after her. Ferris for a barricade and hid behind it. She then leapt back out to fire at Karly. Karly dodged and retaliated. Ferris tried to move out of the way, but wasn't quick enough. Some of the green paint still splattered over her dress.

"Well, I tried," Ferris sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**I hope this pays off, because I'm basically a sitting duck out here.

* * *

(Portia)

Portia spotted Renada and immediately froze in place. She hid herself in some bushes and watched the girl walk. Carefully Portia followed after her. She held her pistol ready to attack. Eventually she dived up out of her hiding spot and fired at Renada. Renada moved fast, though, and dodged the shot. She immediately tossed a spear at Portia.

"Eek!" Portia cried as she ducked to avoid the shot.

Portia continued to fire before Renada could draw another spear. Renada growled before turning to run. She dived into a trench. Before Portia could reach her, she tossed another spear out. Portia quickly backed up.

"Hmph, no fair," Portia pouted.

She prepared to attack again, she heard a sound behind her. She twirled around just in time to avoid a shot from Pedro.

"Blast, just missed," Pedro cursed from behind Portia.

Portia quickly retaliated with her pistol. The two were both firing at each other now. Portia managed to avoid getting any paint of her, but one blotch of green paint made its way onto Pedro's tie.

"Touche," Pedro sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**Yay, I hit someone! I'm a credit to my team!

* * *

(Rocky)

Rocky was perched on a tree like a bird ready to swoop down on its prey. A caterpillar dropped down into her hair and inched over to her ear.

"Oh…what's that?" Rocky gasped. "She is?! Oh, well, we'd better get ready."

Rocky emitted a whistle that sounded like a shrill bird cry. Suddenly a flock of robins fluttered over to her.

"Okay, fellows, I need just a tiny favor from you," Rocky said as she began whispering to the birds.

Meanwhile on the ground, Mel was just starting to walk by. As she passed the tree, an orange pellet dropped down next to her. It burst into an orange puddle on the grass.

"Huh?" Mel remarked as she looked up.

She saw a swarm of robins fluttering above her.

"Well, what do you want?" she snapped. "Do I look like I have any worms on me?

Another bird dropped a pellet. Mel stepped back just in time to avoid having it land on her head.

"Oh, so that's how she's going to play," Mel grumbled. "To cowardly to face me herself, so she gets her lackeys to do it."

The bird were flocking around Mel now and dropping more pellets. Mel began running. She had to swerve from side to side to not end up in the birds' line of fire. She spotted a shelter and made a sprint for it. The birds were becoming more aggressive, though. They began firing at a faster rate, and some even flew in her face.

"Outta my way," Mel said as she swatted them aside.

She dived for the shelter and…

…

…

…

…

Just managed to avoid getting hit by any paint.

"Ha, take that, you dumb birds!" Mel shouted. "Now why don't you go find a glass window to slam into?"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rocky-**(with the flock of robins are her arms) She didn't mean that, guys, because if you did fly into a glass window you would die and that wouldn't be nice for anyone.

* * *

(Portia)

Portia continued to walk, but she soon stopped when she heard a noise. She kept her grip on her pistol and prepared herself for another fight. Suddenly Aloysius dropped down in front of her with a dart ready.

"Ah!" Portia cried as she pulled out her parasol and deflected the dart. "Ha, weren't expecting that, were you?"

However, unknown to Portia, Rocky was being lowered by a snake right behind.

"Surprise!" she exclaimed as she threw a pellet at the back of Portia's dress.

"Oh no!" Portia exclaimed. "I've failed!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**Portia seems to have some nobility to her name, yet she has no idea how to act. Pity, really, I was hoping there'd be at least one other person who could match my wealth, class, wit, and skill.

**Portia-**My team was depending on me and I let them down. I'll just have to try harder next time.

* * *

(Betty)

Betty tentatively risked coming out of her hiding spot beneath a shelter. She clutched another paint grenade in her hand.

"Okay, Betty, think calm thoughts," she told herself. "Oceans…butterflies…clouds…!"

"Die!" Mel exclaimed as she charged with her sling ready.

"Ah!" Betty cried as she started to run. "Panic thoughts…panic thoughts!"

Mel fired her sling as she chased after Betty. It was then that Betty realized she was still holding the grenade.

"Take this!" she exclaimed as she tossed the bomb at Mel.

Mel just kicked it out of the way before it could explode.

"Ah!" Betty cried again. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

Suddenly a fear came between them, it exploded into orange paint.

"Take one more step and you're dead," Renada said.

"Oh what is with you people, all looking out for each other?" Mel scoffed. "You wouldn't see me doing that for my team."

Renada prepared another spear. Mel turned and ran the other direction. Renada was about to chase after her when Betty hugged her tightly.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" Betty exclaimed. "You're my hero, I love you!"

"Let go of me, please," Renada growled.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Mel-**I don't need to depend on anyone but myself, that's what separates me from everyone else in this game.

* * *

(Austin and Karly)

"Just about done," Austin called down to Karly.

"That's good," Karly called back.

However, Karly soon heard the familiar sound of movement. She wasted no time in firing at the bushes, yet she didn't hit anyone.

"I know you're out there somewhere," she said as she began firing at every shadow she saw.

Just as she was about to fire again, Aloysius dropped in front of her.

"I'll take that," he said as he caught the arrow in midair and tossed it aside. "And you can have this."

He tossed a dart that splattered over Karly.

"You never stood a chance," Aloysius told her smugly as she left the area in defeat.

"Hey, hey, Al, up here!" Austin exclaimed.

"What is it? I have no time for your silliness," Aloysius said.

Austin pulled a cord, which caused a branch to snap off and swing towards another branch. It knocked over a rock which rolled like a marble, hitting another rock in its path. This continued until finally a rock landed on the ground and snapped a vine.

Aloysius rolled his eyes, "Am I supposed to be impre—"

Suddenly, a log swung along a vine and slammed right into him. Aloysius was knocked backwards right into a tree, where a can of paint was waiting to be tipped over and spill on top of him.

"My suit…" Aloysius sobbed. "Oh, you will live to regret this!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Austin-**Yay, it worked…so, am I done for the day now?

**Aloysius-**I don't care if this paint is washable, my suit can only be cleaned by the most pristine drycleaner in the country. It would be damaged beyond repair, otherwise.

* * *

Austin sat on a branch, proud of himself for his contribution. However, he didn't notice a small black spider creep down his shoulder and onto his arm. It made its way to his hand and bit him.

"Ow!" he exclaimed as he shook it off.

However, when he looked at his bite, he realized that it was spreading out into an orange blotch of paint.

"Thank you, Miss Non-Lethally Poisonous Spider," Rocky said the spider crawled back into her hands.

Rocky was caught off guard, though, by a shot from Mel. Mel used her sling to hit Rocky, directly in the face.

"Ha, take that!" Mel shouted. "Not so tough without your animals to do your fighting for you."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Mel-**So, I'm the last person standing on my team? Big deal, as far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one who's been doing any work.

**Rocky-**I don't just use animals to do my fighting…I also use reptiles, birds, and arachnids.

* * *

Renada had arrived at the main scene of action now and immediately spotted Mel. She tossed another spear, while Mel quickly attacked with her sling. Both girls got behind protection, but continued to attack.

"I'm taking you down!" Renada shouted.

"Ha, you've just been surviving off of luck this far," Mel spat.

From a distance, Betty watched the two of them fighting.

"Okay, Betty, no more messing around," she told herself. "This is your chance to be a hero. This is your chance to prove to your team just how valuable you really are. Okay, no turning back now…aaaah!"

She charged forward with her grenade raised. Both Mel and Renada paused to look over at her in confusion.

"Victory!" Betty shouted.

However, she tripped over a root and instead of tossing her grenade at Mel, she ended up colliding with Renada. The two girls fell to the ground and the grenade exploded on both of them.

"Thanks for the help," Mel said as she fired her last shots at both Betty and Renada.

"And that does it!" Chris announced, suddenly reappearing.

Immediately all the darkness vanished and the sky became clear blue again.

"As Mel is the last person standing, the Ferocious Fields are the winners of today's challenge," Chris declared. "Which means, Tough Trees, you will have to go to your first elimination tonight."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Betty-**Oh no, I blew it! Oh, why did I have to be a hero, being a hero never works! I should have just stayed hidden, then no one would have even known. Why am I so stupid, why!?

**Pedro-**Alright, it's time to see how well this little business functions.

**Renada-**Grrrr…so close!

* * *

(Later, Ferocious Fields)

"You see, that is why you're going to keep me around," Mel said smugly at her entire team as they arrived back at their camp. "Because I win stuff well the rest of you were wasting time."

"Everybody contributed, Mel," Karly argued. "Just because you—"

"Excuse me, but we're you standing with me when the game ended?" Mel interrupted. "No, so where do you get off telling me that you're of equal value to me? I won this challenge, no one else did!"

"I'm with Karly," Brienne said.

"You…are?" Karly said in surprise.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for my contribution, we never would have made it," Brienne said.

"Uh…you didn't do anything," Marion pointed out.

"I expected that kind of response from someone who doesn't share my way of thinking ahead," Brienne huffed. "But clearly I got Betty to throw the challenge. Just seeing me in all my glory was enough to convince her to get on my good side and sabotage her team. How else can you explain it?"

"Um, excuse me, but can we just be happy that we won?" Portia suggested.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**Yeah, I'm glad we won, but that means we have to put up with Mel's gloating. I'm almost looking forward to the next time we lose so we can finally get rid of her.

**Linus-**We're safe…but only because a villain won…I feel so dirty!

**Brienne-**My master plan is already coming together and I didn't even have to do anything to get it rolling. Clearly I've already got allies on the other team, so when we merge I'll have total control of the game.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Pedro had gathered almost everyone into a group slightly away from the camp.

"Okay, everyone," Pedro said, "it's time for our first executive meeting. We're here to discuss our first elimination. Now, I feel that it is best if we eliminate—"

"Betty?" Florence asked. "I mean, she's the only one not here so…kinda obvious."

"Yes, Betty cost us the challenge today," Pedro said. "And honestly, can any of you stand spending more than five minutes with her."

Pedro received some nods in agreement.

"I'll say," Renada said. "I had that challenge in the palm of my hand and she had to butt in a ruin everything."

"Great, so we're in agreement," Pedro exclaimed. "Let's make this first elimination unanimous."

The group split up and spread out around the camp.

"Pedro…oh Pedro!" Betty exclaimed as she ran over to the boy. "Okay, what's the dealio? Who are we voting for? You can't vote for me, remember, I'm your receptionist!"

"Yes, yes, Betty, there's no need for you to worry," Pedro said. "We're going to vote out Drew."

"We are?" Betty sighed in relief.

"Yes, he barely did anything this challenge and clearly won't be much use in the future," Pedro said.

"I won't let you down!" Betty exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Betty-**Oh this blindside is going to be so epic! My first major move!

**Ferris-**Yeah, Betty screwed up, but that doesn't mean I like working for Pedro any more than I did before. He's still a snake who could throw anyone under the bus if it suited him.

* * *

(Gazebo of Defeat)

The team of ten sat down at the gazebo as the night began to spread over the island.

"Welcome, Tough Trees, to your first elimination," Chris said. "As I explained to the Ferocious Fields last time, you will be given a green light if you are safe, and if not, then you're gone. But first, let's answer some questions."

"Whatever you want, Chris," Pedro said.

"Okay, the first one will be for…Betty," Chris said.

"What'd I do!?" Betty exclaimed frantically.

"No, I'm just asking you a question," Chris said. "Are you at all worried about leaving after your performance at the challenge?"

"I am now!" Betty cried. "Thanks for remind me!"

"Okay, how about our stronger members," Chris said. "Aloysius, do you feel that you have a free pass to the merge because of your strength?"

"Ahem!" Renada interrupted. "Are you forgetting that I outlasted him? I'm the stronger teammate, I'm the one with more value!"

"You can tell yourself that all you want, but it won't make it any truer," Aloysius said smugly. "It took a log trap to take me out, yet it only took one clumsy teammate to take you down. I'd say that says enough."

"Grr, shut up!" Renada snapped.

"You two seem to have a little feud going on," Chris noted. "Florence, has this been going on for a while?"

"Sadly, yes," Florence said. "Those two can't seem to just chill out, they're always angry about something."

"Washington, how are you expecting this vote to go?" Chris asked.

Washington shrugged.

"I see, well, let's get on with it then," Chris said. "You may cast your votes now."

Drew got up and headed over to the confessional. The others followed.

* * *

(Later)

"Okay, I have the votes," Chris announced as everyone sat back down. "If you get a green light, you are safe…the first green light is for…Yu!"

"Me?" Pedro asked.

"No…Yu!" Chris said.

"Me?" Florence asked.

"No…Yu!" Chris said. "That Yu, right there!"

"Oh, thank you," Yu said as a green light shone down on her.

"Also safe," Chris said, "is…"

"Renada!"

"Ferris!"

"Florence!"

"Rocky!"

"Washington!"

"Aloysius!"

This just left Betty, Pedro, and Drew.

"Okay, we're down to the wire now," Chris said.

Betty biting her nails nervously, Drew was staring up spacily, Pedro just has a confident grin on his face.

"The next green light goes to," Chris said, "…

…

…

"Drew!"

"Huh…oh, good," Drew said.

"Betty, Pedro, it all comes down to this," Chris said.

"Oh my god…oh my god!" Betty exclaimed. "It's me isn't it!?"

"We'll find out soon," Chris said. "The final green light goes to…"

"Oh, why didn't I see this coming, why didn't I try harder!?" Betty cried. "I should have known I was making a mistake, I probably made hundreds of mistakes! Where to start, where to start!?"

"Betty could you please let me finish?" Chris sighed in frustration.

"I made all the wrong alliances, I should have gone with my gut feeling!" Betty sobbed. "And then there was the challenge...what was I thinking with that!?"

"The final green light," Chris tried to say again, "goes to…"

…

…

…

…

"I don't blame you, though!" Betty cried. "I probably would have done the same thing. I suppose that's what makes it so tragic."

"Betty!" Chris snapped.

"Yes, I'm ready to go, Chris," Betty sighed.

"No, 'Betty' as in 'the final green light goes to…Betty,'" Chris said in annoyance. "If you would just let me finish, I could have told you that."

"Wait…you mean I didn't fail horrendously?" Betty sighed as she grabbed her heart.

"I didn't say that necessarily," Chris said. "But Pedro did get the most votes."

"What?" Pedro gasped. "You people voted for me!?"

"Pedro, it's time to go," Chris said as he took his arm. "And the rest of you can head back to your camp now."

Once everyone was gone, Chris guided Pedro along the Walk of Loser and into the Fanboat of Shame.

"Okay, Pedro, you blew your first chance, but you've still got one more," Chris said. "It's called Not Quite Loser Island."

Pedro grinned at this news.

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"There, that should do nicely," Sandy said as she put the final touches on her shelter.

She had assembled a series of sticks and had used them to make a roof hanging from a tree. She had also set used some moss to make a soft place to sleep, and some rocks for walls to keep up the window.

"It's not perfect, but it'll do for now," she remarked.

Sandy looked up and saw that it was night now.

"Wow, I spent a whole day on this," Sandy sighed to herself. "I wonder if anyone else has arrived yet? I need to make sure I don't fall behind."

However, once Sandy took a step out of her shelter she felt a cold breeze blow past her.

"On second thought, I'll get a jump on that, first thing in the morning," she said to herself as she lay down on her bed.

Meanwhile, at the front of the island, Pedro was being dropped off.

"There are two idols waiting to be found," Chris said. "Good luck."

Pedro walked up to the crystal pillars and the temple.

"Hm, interesting, very interesting," he said.

He examined the temple door, but didn't find any way to open it.

"Not even a hole for a key," he muttered.

He then turned back to examine the crystals.

"Very pretty," he noted.

He began feeling them. He found one that felt loose. Curiously, he gave it a pull. The crystal turned out to be a lever, and by pulling it, Pedro had opened the door to the temple.

"Perfect," he said to himself.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**I don't know why my team decided to turn on me like that, but I plan on getting right back into the game.

**Votes:**

**Pedro-**Sorry, Betty, but someone has to go first.

**Betty-**I vote for Drew. There, done, I said, it's all good now!

**Ferris-**I vote for Pedro. Betty may be annoying, but at least she's not telling me what to do.

**Aloysius-**While I would love to see Renada go, at least I can get some amusement from her. I can't say the same about Pedro, and he's been acting like he's better than me. I can't allow this, so I vote for him.

**Drew-**Princess Moonbeam, uh…came to me before we, um…you know, voted and stuff and uh…she said that I shouldn't trust Pedro so…okay.

**Renada-**I vote for Betty, this'll show her for getting in my way!

**Washington-**Betty…I guess.

**Florence-**Pedro…he seems like a nice enough guy, but he made it pretty clear that me and Drew were on the bottom of his pyramid. He's pretty wound up on his strategy, and I think we can all just relax a little more with him gone.

**Rocky-**(a frog hops onto her arm and ribbits) What's that, Ms. Froggy…oh you think I should vote Pedro? Okay, if you say so.

**Yu-**I think of everyone as my friend, so this is really hard. Betty really was trying her best and it's not fair that she should leave because of that. I think Pedro is being unfair, so I vote for him.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And with that, we have our second boot of the season," Chris said. "Pedro thought he had everything figured out, but it turns out he was way off. How will the Tough Trees fare without him? Will it be a peaceful utopia, or fall into chaotic anarchy? And how will the Ferocious Fields do? Is Mel as valuable as she thinks, will Portia get the chance to prove her worth? All this and more on the next…Total…Drama…Strandarama!"

* * *

**Teams:**

Ferocious Fields:

Karly-The Natural Leader

Marion-The Sadistic Strategist

Brienne-The Narcissus

_Sandy-The "Nice" Girl_

Portia-The Aristocrat

Linus-The Warrior of JUSTICE

Teddy-The Parakeet

Randall-The Epic Fail

Austin-The Paranormal Fan

Mel-The Loudmouthed Complainer

Tough Trees:

_Pedro-The Businessman_

Rocky-The Animal Whisperer

Drew-The Daydreamer

Florence-The Chill Guy

Betty-The Over-Thinker

Washington-The Nobody

Ferris-The Loner

Aloysius-The Badass in a Suit

Renada-The Dumb Muscle

Yu-The Ray of Sunshine

**Not Quite Loser Island: **Sandy, Pedro

_Author's Note: And Pedro's gone. With Pedro I wanted a character who was really strategic, but just ended up on the worst possible team for that. The majority of the Tough Trees didn't care about strategy and that's what got Pedro screwed. Like Sandy, you'll still be seeing him on Not Quite Loser Island, so he's got a chance to come back. Only time will tell._


	5. Conquer The Flag

"Welcome to Total Drama Strandarama!" Chris exclaimed from the Gazebo of Defeat. "Last time we had our second immunity challenge. It was an all-out paint war with people on both sides getting covered in colour. Renada continued to try and prove herself as more valuable than Aloysius, but with Al doing ninja moves through the darkness, it's kinda hard to compete with that. Meanwhile, Portia tried her best to make an impact on her team by retrieving more fish and taking out Pedro in battle. Despite having Aloysius as a major powerhouse on their team, the Tough Trees also had Betty who was a major hindrance. It was her clumsiness that caused the team to lose and have to eliminate one of their own. Pedro tried to put his pyramid scheme business in action and eliminate Betty, yet the others all saw him as no more than a slippery car salesman and promptly booted him out. He and Sandy are both scrambling to try to get back, while the remaining 18 are trying to stay in. What will happen next? Find out right now on…Total Drama Strandarama!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**Last time I opened the temple and I'm certain that's where I've got to go next. I waited for morning so I would be at full energy, but now I'm ready to explore it.

**Sandy-**Okay, with my shelter done and I'm as rested as I'll ever be, it's time to explore the rest of this island.

* * *

Pedro walked up to the temple and carefully took a step inside. It was dark inside, but he still had some of the sunlight to clear his path.

"Okay, temple, show me what you've got," Pedro said as he stepped on the cool stones.

After a few more steps, Pedro heard a click. Suddenly the door closed behind him. Pedro was trapped in pitch blackness.

"Hey, what is this!?" Pedro exclaimed as he turned around.

He started to slam his fist against the wall.

"Come on, open up!" he exclaimed. "Let me out!"

Meanwhile, Sandy was just leaving behind the temple from the other end. She exited her small shelter and turned to the wild part of the island.

"Okay, let's see what you've got in store for me," she said as she walked off into the forest.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**Clearly that big temple is just a big red herring. I'm sure whoever else has arrived by now is still stumped by it. Luckily I've got the head start now.

**Pedro-**Great, I make one step in the right direction, and now I'm stuck. Well, time to use my brain and figure out how to escape.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**I'm glad that we won that last challenge, I'd rather be fully prepared before I take control of this game. I think Brienne's getting closer to cracking, though, and then she'll be under my power.

* * *

The team was leaving their nearly repaired shelter and spreading out through the camp. As usual, Brienne was spending the day, trying to tan in the sun.

"Hello there, Brienne," Marion said as he sat down next to her.

"Ugh, this had better be important," Brienne scoffed. "Which it won't be, because how could anything be more important than me working on my looks?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Marion said with a sly smile. "How's the alliance going?"

"Just fine," Brienne replied. "Yours?"

"Also fine," Marion replied. "So, what's your longterm plans?"

"Um…what's _your_ longterm plans?" Brienne retorted.

"I asked you first," Marion said.

"My longterm plans are classified only for those who are in my alliance," Brienne said.

"Well, so are mine," Marion replied. "So then, the only way we're going to find these answers is if we join alliances, I suppose."

"I suppose you're right," Brienne replied. "So, are we aligned then?"

"I don't know, you tell me?" Marion said.

"No _you_ tell _me_," Brienne said. "I asked you first."

"Well, in that case then I'd say we are," Marion answered.

"Alright then," Brienne replied.

"Good," Marion said.

"Glad we could come to this agreement," Brienne said.

"Likewise," Marion replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**Well, that may have taken longer than I would have liked, I believe I've roped in Brienne now. And I suppose that I can include Austin too. It's all coming together nicely.

**Brienne-**I'll keep Marion around…in case I need cannon-fodder.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

**Confessional:**

**Renada-**Last night I was confused and surprised, and those emotions made me angry! Sure, I don't give a damn about Pedro, but why didn't anyone tell me we were voting him out? It was supposed to be Betty, unanimous, no questions asked.

* * *

"You!" Renada exclaimed as she marched towards Aloysius with a finger outstretched.

"What is it, commoner girl?" Aloysius asked. "I'm afraid I don't have any spare change on me; not that you'd know what to do with it."

"Shut it," Renada snapped. "You had something to do with that elimination, didn't you?"

"I don't like your tone," Aloysius sniffed.

"Yeah, well I don't like your face!" Renada shouted. "So unless you want me to punch it in, then you're going to start talking."

"What advice can I impart to you today?" Aloysius sighed condescendingly.

"You voted for Pedro, didn't you?" Renada demanded.

"Yes I did," Aloysius answered. "As did the majority of the team, so really, if you didn't vote him, then you're the one who's in trouble."

"Don't play games with me," Renada said. "Why didn't you vote for Betty like we planned? Why wasn't I informed about this?"

"Nobody informs the bourgeois about things that are above their comprehensions, what's the worth?" Aloysius replied.

"Alright, that's it," Renada said as she prepared to punch. "Get ready for the pain!"

Aloysius stepped aside and Renada ended up punching Washington in the face.

"Ow," Washington said as he fell to the ground.

"Good job, Renny, abusing your own teammates is a fantastic way to prove your worth," Aloysius remarked. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to leave before I catch poor from you."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**I voted for Pedro because he bothered me. He acted like he was the king of this team, which was just foolishness since no one is above me. I don't know why everyone else voted as well, but I don't care.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

**Confessional:**

**Teddy-**I've been noticing that a lot of people are getting alliances now. Marion talks with Brienne, Brienen talks with Marion, Karly talks to Portia, Portia talks to Karly, and who do I talk to, who's my ally!? I'd better get one soon, or else I'm going to be really left out and that won't be cool and things that aren't cool certainly aren't epic.

* * *

Mel was trying to get another fire going so they could cook their breakfast.

"Come on, there's plenty of wood," Mel grumbled as she rubbed the sticks together.

"Heeeey, hey, hey, hey, guess what!?" Teddy exclaimed as he ran circles around Mel.

"You're going on medication?" Mel asked.

"Nope, you're going to be my new ally!" Teddy exclaimed. "What do you say?"

"I say absolutely no way!" Mel spat. "You are the most annoying thing that I ever met. You have the attention span of a goldfish, and a voice that sounds like dental equipment. There is no possible way in Hell that I would ever consider working with you. You are the last person I'd ever want on my side!"

"What about that guy?" Teddy said as he pointed at Randall who had somehow gotten his head stuck inside of a tree.

"You are the second to last person I'd ever want on my side!" Mel corrected. "And the rest is still true."

"Okay, just thought I'd ask," Teddy said as he backflipped away.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Teddy-**Yeah, I probably would have had to turn her down anyway because she's mean and evil and everyone hates her and if I worked with her then everyone would hate me and I would probably get voted off and that would really suck because I really don't want to get voted off because I really want to win because winning is really, really awesome!

* * *

(Tough Trees)

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**I'm happy with the way things went last night; people saw Pedro for what he was, and got rid of him. Today, Yu is hanging out with some of the others, which means I can have a bit of time just to myself to reflect on my thoughts.

* * *

Ferris sat by herself in a part of the forest a short distance away from the camp. She sat under a tree and looked up as she thought to herself.

"Um, uh, hi there, can I talk to you?" Betty asked as she approached Ferris.

Ferris sighed to herself and asked, "What is it?"

"Okay, okay, I don't want you to take this the wrong way or anything because I'm totally grateful that you didn't vote me off," Betty stammered.

Ferris motioned for her to speed up.

"Okay, well, here's the thing," Betty said. "So, when I went to Pedro he said that we should vote for Drew, and then everyone voted for Pedro except me, and I was really confused, and I think there might be some conspiracy that's out to get me."

"No one's out to get you," Ferris said.

"But why didn't anyone tell me to vote for Pedro!?" Betty exclaimed. "Why was I left in the dark!?"

She realized that she was shaking Ferris and immediately let go and put her hands behind her back awkwardly.

"I don't know, there wasn't really a plan to eliminate Pedro it just…happened," Ferris said.

"Right, right, I see," Betty nodded nervously. "So…you didn't talk about it at all?"

"Well, I voiced my opinion of him to a few people," Ferris said, "just before we went to the Gazebo of Defeat. I guess this listened."

"Right, I understand," Betty said as she turned to leave. "You've been very helpful."

Ferris gave her a nod and Betty left. However, she immediately returned.

"Okay, quick followup question," Betty said. "You said you voiced your opinion of Pedro to a few people…why wasn't I one of those people? Why didn't you tell me your opinion!? Don't you trust me!? Do you hate me!?"

Ferris groaned to herself and rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to if you don't leave me alone soon," she said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**Yeah, I stand by my decision to vote Pedro, but I'm starting to see now that Betty might have been a pretty good choice too. She is so annoying and if she's going to act this way after every elimination, then I don't think I'm going to be able to stand her much longer.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**I've been trying to get a good read of everyone on my team. Some of them are obvious, Mel and Brienne need to go, while Portia is my friend. But there are others that I'm not so sure about.

* * *

"So, Portia, how was your sleep?" Karly asked her friend as she sat down on a log next to her.

"Oh, it was fine, I'm starting to get used to this new…um, accommodation," Portia said. "Of course, the lack of rain also helped."

"Yes, that was nice," Karly said. "So tell me, what do you think of Marion?"

"Marion? Well, he seems like a decent fellow," Portia said.

"I agree," Karly said. "He seems nice enough, but I can't shake the feeling there's something fishy about him. For one thing, I've seen him talking to Brienne, and I don't like that."

"So…you think he's trouble?" Portia asked.

"I don't know," Karly said. "I'm just saying, not everyone is who they say they are, and we ought to keep that in mind. Not just about Marion, but about everyone."

Meanwhile, Linus was tiptoeing through the forest. He spotted one of Austin's traps hanging from a tree.

"Ha, you're going to have to try harder if you want to stop me," Linus said. "You can't stop JUSTICE with a simple rope hanging from a tree."

Linus gave the rope a kick to prove his point. However, he ended up getting it caught in a snare, and being hoisted up into the air.

"Hm, fascinating," Austin said as he stepped out of a bush. "I planted this trap to catch monsters, and yet it caught you. Therefore the only logical explanation is that you must be a monster!"

"I'm not a monster!" Linus shouted. "Let me down!"

"Okay, I'll believe you," Austin said. "…As soon as I examine your DNA!"

Austin plucked one of Linus's hairs and carried it off preciously to investigate.

"Come back here, you hair-thieving villain!" Linus shouted.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**Naturally I'm very trusting of everyone, but I understand that that mindset can be dangerous out here. I thought Sandy was my friend, and she could have ended up doing some damage to me. Well, I'm going to take Karly's advice and be very careful.

**Austin-**(examining hair) Hm, as far as my research can tell, this is just an ordinary hair…but this could just mean the shapeshifters are getting better.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Yu, Florence, Drew, and Rocky were all walking together around the camp.

"So, do you guys think we made the right call last night?" Yu asked.

"I think we did," Florence said. "Pedro was nice enough, but I don't think he really saw us as friends, just numbers."

"Yeah, and also Ms. Froggy didn't like him and she's never wrong," Rocky added.

"I guess," Yu sighed. "But it still felt hard voting for someone and causing them to lose everything they were hoping for. I just don't feel like Pedro deserved that."

"Someone has to go," Florence shrugged. "Don't think about it too much, you'll only get hung up over yourself."

"Oh, I know," Yu replied. "I guess I just thought it would be easier."

"You haven't said much, Drew," Florence said. "What's on your mind?"

"What's on my mind is, uh, um…the fact that Snickers the Cat is going to…uh, graduate from High School in uh…just two months, but he still doesn't have enough for…uh, Cat College," Drew said.

"Oh you know, I think I read about a similar story in the paper," Rocky said. "The cat wanted to become a cat plumber but then realized that cat plumbing only consists of a box of sand. It was sad."

"Uh-huh," Drew agreed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Yu-**Coming in I guess I assumed that there'd be good guys and bad guys, and we would just vote for the bad guys…but that's not the case at all. Almost everyone on my team is my friend and I'd really hate to have to vote for one of them again. I know it's naïve, but I've got to just keep on smiling and hope for the best.

**Florence-**I'm not gonna think about who to vote for next. If I do that I'd just get all fussed about it, and I wouldn't get any peace of mind. Nah, I'll make my decision when the time calls for it.

* * *

(Later)

The two teams had gathered out by the beach where Chris was waiting for them.

"Hello, campers, and welcome to another reward challenge," Chris announced. "Last time the Tough Trees lost and had to cut out Pedro, so the two teams are balanced, which means it's time to give one of you a break with a little luxury. And what is this prize, you ask?"

"No one asked that," Mel snapped.

"It's an evening of TV Time!" Chris exclaimed. "I'll be bringing to your camp a television set so you can get a little bit of time to relax and watch your favorite shows. I'm sure you kids with your technology are already feeling deprived out here, so hopefully this will regenerate you…if you win, that is."

"Sounds just great, Chris!" Yu exclaimed.

"Now, onto the challenge itself," Chris continued. "You will be playing a game of Capture the Flag. Both of you have been assigned a flag of your team colours in your camp. Your goal is to grab your opponent's flag and bring it over to your camp. However, as soon as you step on enemy territory you can be tagged and thrown in…the prisons!"

An ominous chord played as Chris showed brick buildings that had been set up near either camp.

"If you get tagged you must head directly to the enemy prison," Chris said. "But escape is still possible, if you're resourceful enough. The first team to seize the enemy flag will win reward. Any questions?"

No one said anything.

"Then you may head back to your camps and plan your tactics," Chris said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Betty-**Oh no, we're toast! Without Pedro, who will be there to guide us to victory!?

**Teddy-**This is going to be so much fun! It reminds me of gym class where we played games like dodgeball, and kickball, and handball, and tetherball, and all kinds of other balls!

* * *

(Tough Trees)

"Okay, people, we need to get into groups," Renada instructed her team. "Offense and defense."

"Excuse me, but who put you in charge?" Aloysius scoffed. "The nobility don't take orders from peasants."

"Well tough luck, 'cause Pedro made me his vice-president and since you dolts voted him out, that makes me in charge of this team," Renada declared.

"What an idealistic policy," Aloysius remarked. "Unfortunately in real life power goes to the strong, smart, and rich, which I happened to be more of than you in every aspect."

"Guys, can we not fight please?" Florence said. "We need to focus on the—"

"Shut it!" both Renada and Aloysius said at the same time.

"Looks like it's time to compromise," Yu suggested. "Why don't we all just decide together who does what job?"

"Sounds like utter chaos," Aloysius remarked. "But then again, that does describe our team nicely."

"I'm going on offense," Renada said. "We need a strong leader for that."

"Well, I'll stay on defense," Aloysius said, "because we need someone who can actually handle the responsibility."

"I think I'll go on defense too," Yu said. "I don't like the idea of stealing from someone else, even if it is for the challenge."

"Rocky, I think you should on offense," Renada said. "Your skills will be quite useful."

"Sure thing, and I'm sure my friends would love to help out too," Rocky said.

"I think I'll stick behind to do the defense too," Florence said. "Drew, why don't you guard the prison?"

"Sure, I'll be…uh, just like the guard of…um, the Solar Castle," Drew said, "who, uh—"

"Nobody cares," Renada snapped. "Just do it."

"Well, I can see that our defense has enough already," Aloysius remarked. "Actually, it had enough as soon as I joined, but be that as it may, I suggest that everyone else join the offense."

Ferris and Washington nodded.

"Aye-aye, Mr. Sort of Boss, sir!" Betty exclaimed. "I won't let you people down…like last time, which by the way, was a total fluke and is not something that happens frequently…not to say that you should really count on me to win this one on my own either, but—"

"Betty, we get it," Florence said.

"Just making sure," Betty said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**As usual, this is looking too easy. No one will be able to get past me. Even if we've got someone as brutish as Renada leading the offense, we're bound to win eventually, because the other team will never get our flag.

**Renada-**If there's any good of Pedro leaving it's that I should be ascending to leader. But oh no, Aloysius has to try and ruin that too. When will people wake up and realize that he's nothing but a brat?

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

"Alright, people, I think we ought to divide into groups," Karly said to everyone. "Some of us to stay behind and guard the flag, and some to try and grab the enemy flag."

"Ooh, ooh, I want to try and steal the flag!" Teddy exclaimed. "I swear I'll be so fast and quick and grabby and they won't even notice me and even if they do they won't be able to catch me because I'll just be that fast and so every time they try to tag me they'll actually only be tagging the space where I used to be standing because I'm not standing there anymore!"

"Well, I suggest we put Randall on the offense so we can make sure he gets thrown in prison immediately and doesn't risk screwing us up," Mel said.

"It's probably for the best," Randall sighed.

"Speaking of prison, I shall stay behind to guard ours," Linus said. "I'll see to it that the criminals of the other team get the JUSTICE they deserve!"

"I'll go on the offense," Marion offered.

"Great, me too," Karly said. "Brienne, why don't you guard the flag, it probably requires the least work?"

"Are you implying that I can't do work?" Brienne scoffed.

"No, I'm implying that you _don't _do work," Karly said dryly.

"Oh, that's fine then," Brienne said as she returned to herself.

"I'll stay too and take care of things here," Portia said. "In fact, maybe Austin could help out with one of his traps?"

"Hey, where is Austin?" Marion asked.

Everyone looked around and saw that the boy was gone.

"Okay…never mind," Portia said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Austin-**My team seemed to be doing fine without me, and it's only a reward challenge. This is my chance to continue my search!

**Karly-**While my main focus is still winning the challenge, I'd like to also keep an eye on Marion. Maybe I can see if he's up to anything.

* * *

(Tough Trees, Offense)

Renada, Ferris, Rocky, and Washington stealthily moved between trees as they approached the Ferocious Fields' camp. Betty was clumsily bringing up the rear. Soon they were nearing the outskirt of the camp.

"Okay, I can see some people up there," Ferris said. "As soon as we reach the camp, we'll be in the open. What's the plan?"

"The plan is simple," Renada said. "We'll charge out and grab the flag. They won't be able to catch all of us."

"That plan sounds a little risky," Ferris noted.

"Too bad," Renada sneered. "Let's go!"

Renada took off, but no one followed. She charged out into the openness of the field and charged for the green flag that was waving in the middle.

"Oh no you don't!" Portia exclaimed as she spotted Renada.

Portia chased after Renada, but Renada had a strong lead.

"Oh yes I do," Renada said.

"Get back here!" Portia exclaimed as she pursued Renada.

However, Portia tripped over dress and stumbled. This gave Renada an even larger lead.

"Shoot!" Portia groaned as she got back up and saw that Renada was heading for the flag.

Brienne glanced over at her and stepped aside.

"Not even worth my effort," Brienne scoffed as she allowed Renada to pass.

"Ha, too easy!" Renada exclaimed as she grabbed the flag.

Suddenly she was knocked to the ground as something pounced into her stomach.

"I don't think so, thief!" Linus exclaimed. "To the prison with you!"

Renada angrily swiped at Linus but he dodged. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to the doge where he locked her inside.

"Well…so much for that plan," Ferris remarked to her team.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**I'm not trying to come off as super critical here, but Renada is another reason why I just don't like working with others. She's got a one tract mind and that's bad news for the rest of us.

**Brienne-**Isn't it nice how things work out? I'm sure Renada will remember how I helped her out come merge and join up with my elite alliance, and I can leave all the brunt work to Linus. Perfect.

**Portia-**Dang, we could have been taken out in a manner of minutes. I'd better work harder next time someone tries something.

**Linus-**Thieves belong in jail, end of story!

* * *

(Ferocious Fields, Offense)

Teddy eagerly swung from branch to branch as he moved through the forest.

"Come on guys, hurry up, we need to get there so I can get the flag and win the challenge and watch TV!" Teddy exclaimed.

"We're coming, we're coming," Marion grunted as he, Karly, and Mel followed after Teddy.

Randall brought up the rear. He got his foot stuck in a hole in the ground, trip over his legs and landed on a sharp rock.

"I'm okay," he said as he got up.

"Ooh, ooh, I can see them, I can see the other team, I can see them right up there!" Teddy exclaimed eagerly as he pointed. "Come on, come on, hurry up, they're right there, let's go!"

"Shh," Karly said. "We don't want them to hear us. We need to get the drop of them."

"Actually, there's something I'd like to do first," Mel said.

She then grabbed Randall by the back of his shirt and carried him over to the other team's prison.

"Here, hold this for me!" she said as she tossed Randall into Drew.

Both boys were knocked backwards into the prison. Mel slammed the door shut and pushed a boulder in front of it.

"There, two birds, one stone," Mel said as she brushed off her hands.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Mel-**Karly and Marion can act as alpha as they want, I'm still the one who's making sure that this team does everything to stay ahead. Randall was a liability so I dealt with him. Problem solved.

**Karly-**Why did we bring her again?

* * *

(Tough Trees, Offense)

"Okay, since that plan didn't exactly go over so well," Ferris said to her remaining team, "anyone else got any bright idea?"

Washington opened his mouth, but Betty spoke first.

"Oh, it's hopeless isn't it!?" she cried. "I know I said that I would try my best, but my best really isn't that good! There I said it! Please don't expect any miracles from me, I just can't deal with that kind of weight!"

"I know someone who can help us," Rocky said. "My friend, Mr. Mole!"

"Is he a mole?" Ferris asked.

"How'd you know?" Rocky asked. "Come on out, Mr. Mole."

A brown critter burrowed out of the ground.

"Okay, Mr. Mole, I need you to a very big favor for me, understand?" Rocky said.

She then leaned over and began whispering in his ear. After she finished, the mole returned to the ground.

"Now we wait," Rocky said.

Meanwhile, Brienne was focusing on a mirror as she tried to get her hair to look just right. She glanced up when she saw some movement. She noticed that the flag was gradually getting pulled into the ground.

"I don't think so," she said as she grabbed the flag and pulled it out of the ground.

She also revealed a mole holding onto the flag with determination.

"Beat it," she said as she tossed the mole aside.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rocky-**Oh my, I hope Mr. Mole forgives me for putting him in such pain like that. I should be more careful with what I ask my friends to do.

**Betty-**Oh what have I done!? In a moment of panic I basically said 'I'm useless, please vote me out!' Why did I do that!? I've got to find a way to make up for it….think, think!

* * *

(Ferocious Fields, Offense)

"Well now that Mel is done making a scene, what do you think we do next?" Karly asked.

"I say we should get one person to keep the defense busy and the rest of us go for the flag," Marion said.

"So, who's going to be the live bait?" Karly asked.

"Hey, look at me!" Teddy exclaimed as he dived off a tree. "Look at how fast I can run, they'll never catch me!"

"I'd say he'll do," Marion said.

As Teddy ran excitedly around the forest camp, Mel, Karly, and Marion crept through the bushes.

"Hey, hey, you there!" Teddy exclaimed as he ran up to Florence. "Just try to tag me, come on, try it, I dare you, I challenge you, do it, come on, do it, can't do it, can you!?"

Florence scratched his head before trying to grab Teddy.

"Ha, ha, ha, too slow!" Teddy exclaimed as he began running circles around Florence.

Florence started to get dizzy as he chased after the other boy.

"Now I'm over here!" Teddy exclaimed as he ran a different direction. "Hey come on, I'm right here, try to take me, I bet you can't do it, come on, try!"

Florence charged after him.

"Ooh, ooh, I'm right against this tree, nowhere to run now, you've got me, right, I guess it's the end for me," Teddy said all without losing his grin. "Psych!"

He slid between Florence's legs, just in time. The larger boy crashed into the tree and fell to the ground.

"See, see, see? I told you, you couldn't catch me!" Teddy laughed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Florence-**That kid must drink five cups of coffee a day or something.

**Karly-**Well, he's certainly effective, I'll give him that.

* * *

(Tough Trees, Offensive)

"You can't keep me in here!" Renada shouted as she punched against the door of the prison.

"I'm afraid I can," Linus said from the other side. "You're right where you belong."

"Just wait till I get my hands on you!" Renada said as she began slamming her shoulder against the door.

"I don't think you're making much progress," someone said from behind Renada.

"What the?" Renada remarked as she turned around to see Washington sitting on the floor of the dark, dirty dungeon. "When do you get here?"

"Oh, shortly after you," Washington said. "I got tagged by Portia in an uninteresting and uneventful course of action."

"That's great, now get up and help me break down this door," Renada ordered as she continued to slam against it.

Washington sighed as he joined Renada.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Washington-**Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm not being edited in the most generous style. I actually have an interesting theory on—(static)

**Renada-**Normal people might see a brick wall and a door and give up, but to me it's just another obstacle for me to obliterate.

**Washington-**…which when you think about it really makes a lot of sense.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields, Offense)

Drew and Randall had been locked inside of the cramped, brick dungeon together.

"So, uh…are you a doppelganger?" Drew asked.

"Excuse me?" Randall said.

"A doppelganger, you know, like, uh…you can change to look like, um…someone else," Drew said.

"That's a funny question," Randall said.

"Well, uh, I was trying to…uh, think of why your own…um, team would just throw you in here," Drew said. "That one was…uh, the most interesting to me."

"Sorry to disappoint," Randall said.

"That's fine," Drew replied.

"Well, I suppose I should start trying to find a way out of here," Randall said.

"Kay," Drew replied.

"Aren't you going to try and stop me?" Randall asked.

"Nah, I'd rather…uh, think about what, um….Jenny would do if she was stuck here," Drew said.

"Who's Jenny?" Randall asked.

"Uh, never mind, Jenny would…uh, never got caught in the first place. She's, um…a trained assassin, you know," Drew said.

"Okay, I'm going to stop asking questions," Randall said.

Randall then turned to investigate the wall.

"Chris said that there was a way out," Randall said. "Maybe I can find something in here."

After examining some of the bricks, he found one was loose. Carefully he removed it an revealed a small tunnel.

"It's going to be a squeeze, but I think I can do it," Randall said as he tried to inch his body through the hole.

Suddenly, the tunnel started to crumble.

"Uh-oh," Randall said before the wall caved in over him.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Randall-**Now I know why Drew didn't try to stop me. I did plenty of damage myself.

**Drew-**If Jenny were here, uh…she'd tell me to do anything to win…but if Burt were here, he'd tell me…uh, to just go with the flow…he's a monk, you know.

* * *

(Austin)

"Hm, what's this?" Austin said as he examined the ground.

He dragged his hand through the dirt.

"This has traces of paranormal all over it," he declared excitedly. "Now, where does it lead?"

He continued examining the dirt and the ground as he curiously moved through the secluded part of the forest.

"Aha!" he exclaimed as he held up a purple hair. "Sasquatch, perhaps? I knew he was just native to Wawanakwa. There could be hundreds of Sasquatch colonies! I've got to make a note of this."

Austin slipped the hair into a bag and pulled out a notebook. He quickly began sketching down note.

"This is going to be big, I just know it!" he exclaimed eagerly. "Just a little more proof is all I need. There's no denying it this time!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Austin-**This is way more important than any silly little challenge. I'm on the verge of discovering the Sasquatch colonies!

**Chris-**Has anyone seen my purple rug? I left it out to dry and it seems to have blown away.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields, Offense)

Karly, Mel, and Marion could see the brown flag now, and they were just a small distance away from it.

"Come on, let's grab it," Mel said.

"Hang on," Marion said.

He pointed at Aloysius standing near the flag. He had a bored expression on his face.

"He's one, we're three," Mel said. "We can take him."

Mel charged towards the flag.

"Yawn," Aloysius scoffed as he bolted to her side and knocked her to the ground.

While this was happening, Marion tried to run past him and grab the flag.

"Is that the best you can do?" Aloysius scoffed again as he leapt up behind Marion and kicked him to the ground.

Karly tried to charge past both of them. She grabbed the flag, but Aloysius grabbed her wrist and flipped her over backwards.

"Pathetic, really," Aloysius remarked. "I knew it would be easy, but I was hoping for something a little more worth my time."

Karly, Mel, and Marion were all forced into the prison together.

"Well, this sucks!" Mel shouted. "Why didn't you two try harder!?"

"Aloysius is a force to be reckoned with," Karly sighed. "I don't think we ever stood a chance."

"Hey, where's Randall?" Marion asked.

"He's dead," Drew answered.

Everyone looked at him blankly.

"Yeah, uh…an army of trolls, uh…broke through the wall and, uh…ripped him to pieces," Drew said.

"I'm over here guys!" Randall exclaimed from the wall. "I tried to escape but the wall collapsed on me."

"Well that's what you get for trying to do anything," Mel scoffed.

"Anyways, it looks like our only hope is Teddy now," Karly remarked.

"I don't like the sound of that," Marion said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**I think we tried out best, but we're just oridinary people, Aloysius is some sort of super-human. We're going to have to try a different tactic if we want a chance at overcoming him.

**Aloysius-**My team had better let me choose what we're watching because I won't watch anything except Downtown Abbey.

* * *

(Tough Trees, Offense)

"Hm, we're going to have to go for a pronged attack," Ferris said. "We need to all do what we can to get that flag."

"So, what are you thinking?" Rocky asked. "After losing Washington like that, we're already down in numbers."

"First off, we'll need a distraction," Ferris said. "Betty, do you think you can manage that?"

"Oh, well, uh, I mean, I think I can but, uh…what exactly did you have in mind?" Betty asked.

"Anything," Ferris said. "Just do something that'll distract the others. Rocky and I will go for the flag and try to play keep away with whoever's still guarding it. Hopefully we'll be able to make it back to our camp safely."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Okay, Betty, you're up," Ferris said.

"Right!" Betty exclaimed as she stepped out.

She ran into the field and waved her hands, catching the attention of Portia and Linus.

"Distraction!" Betty exclaimed. "I'm distracting, pay attention to me, I'm so distracting! Distraction, distraction!"

Portia glanced at Linus and shrugged. Betty kept running until she was right next to Brienne and the flag.

"Hey, look at me, I'm a distraction!" Betty exclaimed. "Follow me!"

"Bah, I'm not falling for that," Brienne scoffed as Betty ran off. "Unless…that's exactly what you thought I'd say. I'm onto you!"

Brienne then sprinted after Betty. Betty ran into the forest, and began to slow down in exhaustion. Luckily, Brienne was just as easily tired and began to slow down as well. While this was happening, Ferris and Rocky charged for the flag.

"Hey, stop them!" Portia exclaimed as she spotted the two girls.

"No one shall get past Linus!" Linus exclaimed as he blocked the flag.

"Get him, Ms. Squirrel!" Rocky shouted.

Suddenly, a squirrel leapt down from a tree into Linus's hair.

"Ah, get out, get it out!" Linus cried as the squirrel scurried through his hair.

Ferris ran past him and grabbed the flag.

"Hold it right there!" Portia exclaimed as she chased after him.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Brienne-**Normally when someone acts like a distraction, it's a bad idea to follow them. But I was too smart for them, and realized that was exactly what they were expecting. Sorry, going to have to try harder if you want to get the drop on me.

**Ferris-**Well, it all comes down to this.

**Portia-**I won't let them win this. I'm giving it my all.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields, Offense)

"Hey, hey, You! Yeah, Yu!" Teddy exclaimed as he ran up to Yu.

"Yes?" Yu asked gently.

"Bet you can't catch me!" Teddy exclaimed. "Bet you can't, bet you can't, bet you can't!"

"Oh, I suppose I could try," Yu said as she tried to reach Teddy.

"Can't do it, nope, too slow!" Teddy exclaimed as he leapt out of the way just in time.

Yu sped up as she continued to chase Teddy.

"Hey, check this out, look at what I'm holding!" Teddy exclaimed as he grabbed a vine. "Woo, check it out, it's a vine, look at me, I'm running with it."

Teddy continued to run circles around Yu until she was all wrapped up in the vine.

"Ha, you're stuck now, you definitely aren't going to catch me now!" Teddy exclaimed. "You look like a sleeping bag, you're all brunch up, except you're not a sleeping bag, you're a girl, and you're just wrapped up like a sleeping bag!"

Teddy then sprinted over towards the flag.

"Ooh, ooh, I'm gonna get it now, nothing's gonna stop me, I got it, I got it!" Teddy exclaimed.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop you right there," Aloysius said.

"No you're not!" Teddy exclaimed. "You can't stop me, I'm unstoppable, that's why you can't stop me, because it's impossible to stop something that's unstoppable, it simply wouldn't make sense!"

"We'll see about that," Aloysius said.

He slid towards Teddy rapidly. Teddy backflipped out of the way just in time.

"Ooh, missed me by that much!" Teddy laughed. "Do you see how much that was, cause it wasn't a lot!"

"Silence," Aloysius said as he swiped again at Teddy.

"Still can't hit me!" Teddy said.

"Oh yes I can," Aloysius countered. "You're just prolonging the inevitable."

"No, silly, no inevitable, I said impossible," Teddy replied.

Teddy then dived for the flag. Aloysius quickly pounced after him. He grabbed the other end of the flag.

"Mine!" Teddy grunted as he tugged. "Mine, mine, mine!"

"You're not going anywhere," Aloysius said as he gave the flag a firm pull and lifted Teddy off the ground.

"No fair!" Teddy exclaimed as he kicked Aloysius in the shin.

"Oh, you little!" Aloysius grunted as Teddy let go of the flag.

"Hey, hey, you still can't catch me!" Teddy exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**That brat! If he were on my team, I would have already had everyone vote him off by now.

**Teddy-**I'm not giving up, nope, not me, not my style, my style is winning, if I don't win, then there's no other option, gotta win, never give up!

* * *

(Tough Trees, Offense)

Portia had locked onto Ferris and wasn't letting her pass. Ferris's only option was to keeping run in the opposite direction she wanted to go.

"My team is counting on me," Portia said. "I'm sorry, but I just can't allow you to get past me!"

"Ooh, Ferris, I'm open!" Rocky exclaimed from behind Portia.

Ferris tossed the flag like a javelin. Rocky leapt up and caught it.

"Linus, stop her!" Portia ordered.

Linus had tossed the squirrel aside and was chasing after Rocky now.

"Uh-oh," Rocky said as Linus and Portia surrounded her from either side.

Ferris followed closely behind, trying to give Rocky a chance to toss her the flag again.

"Mr. Seagull, please take this for me!" Rocky said as she handed the flag to a bird.

The small bird was clearly struggling to lift the flag, but it managed to carry it over to Ferris. Ferris grabbed it and started to run again. Rocky tried to follow after her, but Linus tackled her to the ground.

"Nope, you won't be using her freaky evil powers this time!" Linus said.

It was just Portia chasing after Ferris now. Portia had fire in her eyes as she sped up. She was gaining on the other girl. Ferris glanced behind her and saw that Portia would catch her soon. She looked forward at the field and saw that she still had some distance to run before she would be safe. Portia was nearly behind her. Suddenly, the door to the prison burst open and fell to the ground.

"Freedom!" Renada exclaimed.

Ferris acted instantly. She tossed the flag towards Renada. Renada saw it coming and caught it. Portia crashed into Ferris and the two girls fell to the ground, yet Renada had the flag now. With it firmly grasped she ran for the forest.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**I don't like working in teams, and yet you can't deny how effective teamwork is when it comes together.

**Rocky-**When this is all over I think I'm going to buy a giant bird-bell for Mr. Seagull, and a supersized peanut butter jar for Ms. Squirrel.

**Linus-**No! How could this be!? How can JUSTICE fail yet again!?

* * *

(Later)

Teddy was still wrestling the flag from Aloysius when Renada arrived carrying the green flag.

"And Renada wins it for the Tough Trees!" Chris exclaimed.

"That's right, I'm the one who's bring home the win!" Renada said as she jabbed the flag into the ground.

"Oh please, you took far too long," Aloysius scoffed. "If it wasn't for me and my superior abilities, you would have utterly failed."

"Let's not ruin the moment," Yu said, still tied up. "Let's just enjoy our victory."

"Alright, Tough Trees, a TV will be brought to your camp tonight," Chris said. "It'll be taken away in the morning, so make the most of it. As for the Ferocious Fields, you get nothing. Just be thankful this isn't an immunity challenge. Now, let's get everyone out of the prisons."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Teddy-**Aw man, I was trying my best, but I still lost, oh well, gotta try harder next time!

**Betty-**Yes! Looks like I'm redeemed! They can't get rid of me now, or they'll lose their distraction expert.

* * *

(Tough Trees, Later)

The team had gathered around a TV and were watching it intently.

"This is the life, just enjoying our time together as friends," Florence remarked.

"Well…mostly," Rocky said.

She gestured to Aloysius and Renada, glaring at each other from either side of the crowd.

"I'm enjoying this movie," Yu said. "I can't wait to find out who the jewel thief really is."

"Oh you know, I think actually saw this one before," Betty said. "If I recall, it was actually the grandmother trying to pay for her granddaughter's operation."

Everyone glared at Betty in frustration.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, just pretend I didn't say anything!" Betty said quickly. "In fact, just pretend I'm not here!"

"I like, uh…my ending better," Drew remarked. "The secretary is, uh…actually an alien and uh…he needs the jewel to fuel his um…spaceship."

"I like that ending too," Yu said.

"Ugh, have you any class?" Aloysius scoffed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Florence-**We won the reward today, and I think it was a really good opportunity to just solidify our relationship as a team. Almost everyone was getting along just great.

**Betty-**Oh, I'm always spoiling everything, I don't mean too, it just comes out! Like the time I told my sister that Ned Stark dies, or the time I accidentally revealed that Bella becomes a vampire, or when I said that 'A' was actually—eep, I should probably stop talking now.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

"Another pitiful loss, people, and I know exactly who to blame!" Mel said.

"Me?" Randall asked.

"Me," Portia said.

"No! Although, you would be my first and second candidates," Mel said. "The person who really screwed up was…Austin!"

"Hi!" Austin said as Mel pointed at him.

"Mind telling us where exactly you were all this time?" Mel demanded.

"I was doing important research," Austin declared proudly. "I think I'm about to make a breakthrough."

"I'll show you a breakthrough…I'll breakthrough your skull!" Mel exclaimed.

"People, please, let's just chill out!" Karly shouted. "The only person we have to blame for all this is the other team's powerhouse, Aloysius. He's way too strong for a head-on attack. Now that we know that, we'll just have to change up our tactic for the next challenge."

"I'm not letting you off the hook that easy," Mel said as she glared at Austin. "You either!"

She turned her glare to Randall. The group then disbanded and spread out around the camp. Marion grabbed Austin and Randall and pulled them over to where Brienne was sitting.

"So, let's just make this official," Marion said. "We're all together in this alliance."

"We are? I didn't know that," Austin said.

"You're an underling, I only tell you important stuff," Brienne said.

"Okay, just checking," Austin replied.

"So, we've almost got the majority," Marion said. "We just need to rope in one more, and then we'll have total control of the team."

"Please, I had total control when I was an alliance of one," Brienne said. "But fine, go ahead with your little plan if it makes you feel good, I won't stop you."

"Thanks for the support," Marion said as he rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Karly and Portia were sitting next to each other in the shelter.

"Oh, I feel like such a failure," Portia exclaimed. "I knew exactly what I had to do, and yet they still go the better of me."

"You really shouldn't be blaming yourself," Karly said. "Trust me, Portia, you gave it your full effort, and that's more than a lot of people can say on this team. Just keep it up and you'll be fine, I promise."

"Okay…I'll keep trying," Portia said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**I saw Marion talking with Brienne, and it looked like he had Randall and Austin too. I don't like it, if these people are making an alliance, then the game could be knocked on its side. I want to be ready for anything.

**Brienne-**Marion thinks he's so smart for aligning with me, but really he's such a dummy. I could toss him aside at any moment, and I will when I feel like it. That's what you get when you underestimate a super genius like myself.

**Marion-**Perfect, perfect, it's all coming together. Soon I'll have my spot at the top secured and no one's going to stop me! (smiles evilly)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Pedro sighed to himself from inside the dark temple. His hands were bruised from failed attempts to move the door and he had just resigned to sitting down against the wall. He looked out at the inky blackness of the mysterious path, yet he chose to remain in place.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**I could explore the temple in the darkness, but that sounds like a really good way to get lost. I've decided that my best bet is just to wait here for someone else to arrive and open the door. Then I'll make sure I don't make the same mistake twice.

* * *

Sandy had slowed down by now and was walking with little energy.

"Ugh, I've been walking all day and still nothing," she sighed as she looked around at the seemingly endless forest. "Come on, there's got to be something out here for me!"

As the sun began to set she came to a placid, clear pond.

"Well, this is nice," she said as she stopped to admire the water. "But not what I'm looking for."

However, Sandy saw something sparkle in the water. Curiously she looked down.

"Hm, that might be important," she said.

She backed up and then dived into the water. She plunged downward until she could see what had caused the sparkle. She surfaced holding a necklace with a single crystal on it.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**Not the idol, but I have a feeling that it's something I'm going to need.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And that does it for today's reward challenge," Chris said from the Gazebo of Defeat. "Once again, Aloysius proves his worth and gains another victory. And I'm sure Renada had something to do with it too. Up next is another elimination, and no one is safe. Will Marion make his attack? Or will Karly catch onto him first? And how much longer before Betty has a meltdown and needs to be removed? Find out on the next…Total…Drama…Strandarama!"

**Teams:**

Ferocious Fields:

Karly-The Natural Leader

Marion-The Sadistic Strategist

Brienne-The Narcissus

_Sandy-The "Nice" Girl_

Portia-The Aristocrat

Linus-The Warrior of JUSTICE

Teddy-The Parakeet

Randall-The Epic Fail

Austin-The Paranormal Fan

Mel-The Loudmouthed Complainer

Tough Trees:

_Pedro-The Businessman_

Rocky-The Animal Whisperer

Drew-The Daydreamer

Florence-The Chill Guy

Betty-The Over-Thinker

Washington-The Nobody

Ferris-The Loner

Aloysius-The Badass in a Suit

Renada-The Dumb Muscle

Yu-The Ray of Sunshine

**Not Quite Loser Island: **Sandy, Pedro


	6. Mountain Madness

_Author's Note: Hello again everyone. Not much to say today, but I should be getting some more freetime soon, which means I should be able to get back into a consistent schedule for posting new chapters ^_^_

"Welcome back to Total Drama Strandarama," Chris said from the Gazebo of Defeat. "Last time we had our second reward challenge where the two teams fought for the grand prize of some TV time. The challenge was a game of capture the flag, but it got pretty rough. With Aloysius standing guard on his flag, no one could touch it. Even Teddy with his squirrel-like energy wasn't able to get past Al. Meanwhile, Renada tried to take charge of her team, now that Pedro's gone, yet she found that it was harder than she expected. Nevertheless, the Tough Trees were able to win and get their opponents' flag. After the challenge, Karly revealed that she had some suspicions on Marion, who she thought might be getting too close to Brienne. Could this lead to trouble for anyone? Find out right now on Tota…Drama…Strandarama!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Inside the temple Pedro had curled up against a wall and was slowly dragging a rock back and forth on the ground in front of him. He looked towards the dark hallways and then back at the door. He put his ear to the door and listened desperately. Then returned to his menial chore of dragging his rock back and forth.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**I thought that if I just waited here someone would come for me. But there's no food or water in here, how long before I start eating my own flesh!? I have no way of knowing how long it's been; has it been hours…days…weeks!?

* * *

Sandy lay collapsed against a tree. She got up groggily and looked at the crystal necklace that was tightly clutched in her hand. She tried to stand up, but found herself leaning against the tree in exhaustion.

"Ugh, so tired," she moaned.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**I've been spending all this time just walking all over the place, I'm exhausted. I still have no idea what this does, but I think I've earned a little time to just rest.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

The team had gotten up and spread out along their camp. Portia, Karly, and Linus were standing by the shelter, while Teddy worked on preparing something for breakfast. Further out, Marion sat on a rock with Brienne.

"Alright, we have four people in our alliance," Marion said to Brienne. "We just need one more person to take the majority."

"Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious," Brienne scoffed.

"I wasn't finished," Marion grumbled. "As I was saying, I think I know the perfect person to finish our alliance."

"Impossible," Brienne replied. "The only perfect person on this team is me, and I've already joined. Or did you forget?"

"It's Mel," Marion said. "Everyone on the team hates her and wants her gone next, if she wants to survives she needs us. She's got to be desperate for anyone."

"Okay, whatever you say," Brienne said. "Have you asked her yet?"

"I'll do that right now," Marion said. "Shouldn't take long, if she knows what's good for her she'll flip to us as soon as she sees me coming."

Marion left Brienne and walked over to Mel who was sitting under a tree.

"Good morning, Mel," Marion said.

"What do you want?" Mel snapped.

"I want to help you out," Marion said. "You must be able to tell by now that there are some people who want you gone. I want to keep you safe."

"Like I told the last fool who tried to 'save' me, I don't need any help!" Mel spat. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Just hear me out," Marion said, clearly annoyed that this wasn't going as planned. "I've already got an alliance going, all you need to do is join up with us, and you won't have to worry about a thing."

"Oh no, no way, not going to happen," Mel said firmly.

"But why not!?" Marion snapped. "It makes perfect sense for you."

"No, it makes perfect sense for _you_," Mel retorted. "Of course _you _want more people in _your _alliance. You don't want to help me at all, you just want more power. Well, sorry to disappoint by I don't take orders from anyone. Especially not guys who have names that sound like they came right out of a 1950s film about the American South, Mary-Anne!"

"Ah!" Marion exclaimed taken aback. "Well, you…you're…Mel…Mel-on Head!"

"Melon Head?" Mel said dryly. "That's seriously the best comeback you could come up with?"

"No," Marion pouted. "I mean…I can think of a million better, witty puns, I just wasn't prepared."

"Well, your silver-tongue isn't winning me over," Mel replied. "But you never had a chance anyway. The answer is still a firm and definite 'No!'"

Marion grumbled to himself as he returned to Brienne.

"Wow, I must say, you really blew that," Brienne chuckled.

"Oh shut it," Marion snapped. "I'd like to see you do better."

"Oh yeah, I could totally win her over within seconds," Brienne replied smugly. "I just like watching you fail."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**Mel has got to be the biggest idiot out here. Everyone on this team hates her and she is sure to be the next one gone if she doesn't find an alliance. Yet she's too stubborn to accept my very generous offer. Unfortunately, she's still the best option, so I'm not going to give up on her yet.

**Mel-**What is with these people and their precious alliances? Do you honestly think I'm going to agree to putting myself second to anyone? And Marion said that he already had an alliance going, so basically he was saying, 'I want you to be my auxiliary vote.' Yeah, real generous. I've got an alliance of one and that's all I need!

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Ferris was walking through the woods alone. She sighed to herself in relaxation as the sun shined down on her. Then she noticed some movement. Curiously, she moved over to the tall grass where she had seen something. She peered down and bumped into Drew who was just emerging from the grass.

"Oh, sorry," she exclaimed as she rubbed her jaw.

Drew dropped back down to the ground and continued to search.

"Um, what exactly are you doing?" Ferris asked.

"Searching," Drew replied. "Tall grass is, uh…the perfect place for…um, Tanuki…They grant….uh, wishes, you know."

"Okay, whatever," Ferris remarked as she kept walking.

Soon she had left Drew as he continued to crawl through the grass. After some more searching, he held up a wooden totem in the shape of Chris McClean's head.

"Uh…what's this ugly thing?" he said as he examined it.

"Drew, are you out here!?" someone called.

Drew shrugged and tossed the idol behind his back. It landed right in the hole of a hollow tree.

"Over here," Drew called.

Florence emerged from the woods and spotted the boy.

"Ah, there's my little buddy," Florence said.

"Yep," Drew said. "Seen any…uh, Tanuki lately?"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**I don't get Drew. Does he actually believe everything he says? Does he expect us to believe it?

**Drew-**Regardless of whether Tanuki…uh, actually exist…I bet I'll…uh, have a lot more fun in the…you know, tall grass than, um…Ferris.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

Randall walked with Austin the woods.

"So, since we're aligned and all…" Randall remarked.

"Uh-huh," Austin said with disinterest as he worked on tying a rope.

"…I was thinking maybe we should discuss who we're planning to vote for," Randall said.

"Yep," Austin said, still without looking at Randall.

"I mean, I'd rather not have to vote out anyone," Randall continued.

"Sure," Austin said as he carried a rock over to his spot.

"I guess I don't really like Mel," Randall said, "but then again, she's certainly not our weakest link."

"Uh-huh," Austin replied.

"I really don't know," Randall said. "You have any ideas?"

"Yeah, sure," Austin said, still working.

Randall waited for him to say anything.

"Well?" Randall asked.

"Okay, hold this!" Austin said excitedly as he handed Randall a rope.

"What is this for?" Randall asked.

"Just a little experiment," Austin said. "Stand right there."

Randall shrugged as Austin ran off to another part of the forest. Randall sighed to himself, before suddenly being yanked by the rope. He was pulled through the trees and slammed against branches until he was left hanging upside-down.

"It works!" Austin exclaimed.

"You couldn't have told me that was going to happen?" Randall asked.

"Of course not, real monsters can't suspect a thing, and I wanted this experiment to be as accurate as possible," Austin said.

"So, if you meet a monster, you're just going to hand him a rope and tell him to hold it?" Randall asked.

"Yeah…I'm still working out that part," Austin replied.

Randall just sighed as he was dropped to the ground painfully.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Randall-**I realize that I am the biggest liability to my team, but I really would like to try and stay in the game for a little longer at least. Still, maybe I should just leave the planning to Marion, he seems to know what he's doing.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Rocky was sitting in tree while a large snake wrapped itself around her.

"Oh, Ms. Constrictor, it's good to see you too," Rocky laughed.

The snake stuck out its tongue affectionately.

"You know, Mrs. Mouse doesn't appreciate you eating her family," Rocky said. "Perhaps you could go vegetarian?"

The snake hissed in disgust.

"Okay, okay, but only one a day," Rocky said.

"Um, uh, excuse me, uh, Rocky!?" Betty called from the ground. "I was wondering if I could talk with you."

"Sure, come on up!" Rocky exclaimed.

"Yeah…uh, maybe you could come down here," Betty said nervously.

"Okay!" Rocky said as she slid down the tree with the snake still wrapped around her neck.

Betty paled as the snake inspected her face.

"Uh…do you think we could talk without the scary snake around?" Betty asked.

"Aw, but I think Ms. Constrictor really likes you," Rocky said.

Betty just mumbled nervously as she backed away from the snake.

"Alright, run along, Ms. Constrictor," Rocky said as she let go of the snake. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I just wanted to ask about you and your animal friends," Betty said.

"Sure thing, would you like to meet any of them?" Rocky asked.

"No!...Er, no, that's okay," Betty said. "But let me get this straight. You can talk to any animal you want and understand exactly what they're saying?"

"That's right," Rocky replied.

"So, in theory, you could ask some tiny insects to spy on people and then tell you who they're voting for?" Betty asked.

"I suppose I could," Rocky replied.

"But isn't that cheating!" Betty exclaimed suddenly. "Oh my, oh my, what do I do here?!"

Rocky glanced at her quizzically.

"I could report you to Chris, you know," Betty said very panicky as she paced back and forth. "I could probably get you expelled right now…but, but, but!...Do I want to do that? Is that really the best idea?!"

Rocky opened her mouth, but Betty kept talking, more to herself than to Rocky.

" I suppose I could blackmail you, that way I could guarantee your vote on my side," Betty said. "But then what if you betray me!? Blackmail never leads to good things!...Eep! Why am I telling you all this!? Every good strategist knows that you don't let your target know your strategy! Oh, I really need to stop talking, I really need to shut up!"

Betty quickly covered her mouth. Rocky glanced at her again.

Betty uncovered her mouth and said, "Sorry…I'll get back to you."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Betty-**Oh, decisions, decisions. With Rocky's abilities she's got a very unfair advantage over all of us, she should be removed because of that…but on the other hand, if I had her on my side, then that advantage would actually be useful for me…but how do I even know I can trust her! Oh, why does this have to be so confusing!? WHY!?

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

Portia rubbed her temples to clear her headache.

"Mel certainly sounded angry this morning," she remarked. "I don't know what she was yelling about, but I could definitely hear her piercing voice."

"She's always angry about something," Karly remarked.

"Well, I hope we can send her away soon," Portia said. "I don't know how much more any of us can take of her shouting."

"Hmm," Karly said to herself.

"What's wrong?" Portia asked.

"I'm probably just being paranoid, but I thought I saw Marion talking to Mel earlier today," Karly said. "Not that I'm going to prevent people from talking to her, but since it's Marion, I just get a bad feeling."

"Oh, I agree!" someone exclaimed behind Karly suddenly.

Both girls jumped as Linus joined them.

"Oh Linus, didn't see you there," Karly remarked.

"Well, like you were saying, we can't trust that Marion guy," Linus said. "If he's talking to Mel, then clearly he has no regard for JUSTICE. He's making a big mistake, I tell you, if he wants to go against JUSTICE, then he shall be struck down by harsh karma."

"I'm sure we're all just overreacting here," Portia said. "There's probably nothing to worry about."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**I really want to trust Marion, so far he's only proven to be a good team worker, but there are just little things that I can't ignore. He never seems to talk with me, and he I always see him with Brienne, and now Mel. Something's not right. I just hope I can put a stop to it before it gets out of hand.

**Portia-**I don't want to be naïve and trust everyone out here, but let's be reasonable, there's no way anyone could possibly want to work with Mel. It just makes absolutely no sense.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

"Good morning, Aloysius!" Yu exclaimed as she skipped over to the rich boy.

Aloysius just gave her a disdainful glance before walking away.

"So, how are you today?" Yu asked as she continued to follow him.

"I was having the most wonderful day until two second ago," Aloysius remarked icily.

"Aw, that's too bad," Yu said, sympathetically. "What's wrong? Did you stub your toe? I hate when that happens."

"Can't you talk to someone else?" Aloysius asked.

"Sure I can, but I want to talk with you!" Yu exclaimed. "We haven't talked much and I wanted to get to know you better."

"I'm not in the mood," Aloysius said as he increased his pace.

"Aw, come on," Yu said as she got in his path. "Like, what sorts of things are you into?"

"I'm into annoying girls leaving me alone," Aloysius said.

"Wow, I haven't heard that one before," Yu exclaimed. "Nothing wrong with being unique, though."

Aloysius just groaned as he rubbed his temples.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Yu-**Aloysius is the strongest person on our team, which is why we want to keep him around. However, he hasn't really been the nicest, so I want to get him to defrost a little. I'm sure all he needs is a friend to reveal his heart of gold.

**Aloysius-**Ugh, I bet Yu just wants to get some of my money. Commoners are always acting nice, and sucking up to me in the hopes that I'll share my wealth with them. Well, sorry, but if you wanted money then you should have been born into a richer family.

* * *

(Later)

The two teams had gathered in the forest, near the base of the mountain, where Chris was waiting for them.

"Welcome to your next challenge," Chris exclaimed. "This time it's for immunity again, so if you lose, you will be sending someone home."

The campers nodded. Some looked nervous, some looked confident, and some looked unfazed.

"Now, for this challenge, you'll be dropping out, until just one person stands," Chris said. "We've got a series of harsh tasks for you, which you must complete to stay in the challenge. You may drop out at any time if you feel it's too much for you, but you'll be letting your team down. And remember, the team with the last person standing will win immunity."

Once again, everyone nodded.

"Now, let's get to the first task," Chris said as he led everyone over to the mountain. "You'll be hiking up along this path until you come to the first checkpoint…oh, and you'll have to carry one of these rocks."

He gestured towards a collection of boulders.

"Okay, let's do this, come on, no trouble, nope, no problem at all!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Heh, try all you want pipsqueak, we've got this," Renada scoffed.

"I believe you me _I've_ got this," Aloysius replied.

"Okay, everyone," Chris said. "Ready…go!"

Almost everyone ran for the rocks and started to lift them. Brienne just turned the other direction and walked away.

"Brienne? Dropping out already?" Chris asked.

"Uh, yeah," Brienne replied dryly.

"Wow, that's pathetic," Renada scoffed.

"It's not that I can't do it," Brienne replied. "Obviously, I'd have no problem, but I'd probably damage my nails. And besides, I know I'm safe, so what's the point?"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**Ugh, I hate to say it, but the teams are incredibly unbalanced. The others have Aloysius, Rocky, and Renada. And we've got…well, I won't name names, but I think you should be able to figure it out for yourself.

**Brienne-**Can we please just hurry this up? Everyone else on my team should just give up already so I can eliminate someone before the day's even over.

* * *

(Later)

The campers were making progress up the mountain path at different levels. Aloysius had the lead as he lifted the rock over his head with ease and still walked at a brisk pace. Renada, Marion, Mel, and Florence were all racing a short distance behind him. They were clearly feeling the weight of the rocks though and were moving at a gradual pace.

"This is just ridiculous," Mel scoffed. "How is it fair that the other team has some superhuman freak on their team and all we get is Little Miss 'I'm too good for challenges?'"

"Our team does not depend on one person," Renada retorted.

"Hate to burst your bubble, but I'm pretty sure it does," Mel shot back. "Have you taken a look at your team? Without Richie Rich on your team, you'd be toast."

"Oh, and you mean to tell me that your team is any good?" Renada spat.

"Oh god no," Mel replied. "But they've got me, and that'll have to do."

"Ladies," Florence said, "can't we all just get along."

Mel just glared at him before scoffing, "You obviously have no idea who you're dealing with."

Lower down on the mountain path, Portia, Karly, Washington, Ferris, Drew, Austin, Rocky, and Linus were all slowly walking.

"Come on, we can do this," Karly said as they gradually pushed their rocks upwards.

"Yes, stay strong," Portia said while also shoving against her rock.

"For…justice…" Linus wheezed through his exhaustion. "I don't even have…the strength to…shout it."

"Oh hey, I know someone who can help out," Rocky exclaimed. "Oh, Mr. Mountain Goat!"

Suddenly a shaggy goat charged towards Rocky and began pushing her rock upwards.

"You wouldn't…uh, happen to have…you know, any more of those?" Drew asked.

"Sorry, Mr. Mountain Goat is going through a bit of a rough time with the Missus, I think it's best if we keep them apart for now," Rocky replied apologetically.

At the base of the mountain, Randall, Teddy, Betty, and Yu were still having trouble taking off.

"Come on, Betty, don't quit now," Betty said to herself. "This is your chance to prove to your team that you do have some value."

"That's the spirit, Betty, I know you can do it," Yu cheered as she also tried to shove her rock upwards.

"Come on, come on, strong thoughts, think strong thoughts," Teddy chanted to himself. "I am strong, strong as an ox, yep, that's me, I can do this, I can push this rock!"

Teddy had made the most progress out of the four, yet that still wasn't saying much. He had managed to continually shove his rock upwards bit by bit. Betty was slowly coming up from behind him. Yu was struggling with her rock, and wasn't able to move it very far. However, she was still farther than Randall who couldn't even budge his rock.

"Come on, just give me a break here," he groaned as he fought with the rock.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Mel-**Sure, the other team clearly has the advantage, but you're not going to see me giving up here. Everyone else is weak, but I'm a fighter and it'll take more than a few rocks to bring me down.

**Portia-**I think winning immunity would be nice. With all the uncertainty at the camp, it's certainly the safest way to go.

**Yu-**I have full faith in my team…but as for myself, I'm not exactly the strongest. I'm not sure if I'll be much use for this challenge.

**Betty-**We just have to win immunity! I just know my team will turn on me if we lose. They'll probably get me for voting for Drew when no one else did…or because I'm the weakest one left…or maybe Rocky will remember what I said about blackmail and she'll target me…oh why did I have to say that to her!?

* * *

(Later)

Chris stood at a plateau along the edge of the mountain. A black and white checkered flag waved behind him.

"And here come the first few," Chris said.

"Hello, Chris," Aloysius said before kicking his rock away lightly. "That wasn't really much of a challenge, if you ask me."

"Well, we'll see what the others have to say about that," Chris said.

The two waited for a bit longer until the next group arrived. Marion and Florence each dropped of their rocks. They were followed by Mel and Renada who were still glaring at each other.

"Okay, we've got three from the Trees and two from the Fields," Chris said. "Who else will make it?"

"Here I am!" Rocky exclaimed as she rode her goat up to the checkpoint.

The goat deposited the rock before cantering off.

"Rocky has arrived, bring the Tough Trees to 4," Chris said.

"Lousy team," Mel grumbled. "Where are they all?"

Portia and Karly arrived next, both of them were out of breath. As soon as they dropped off their rocks, they sat down on the ground.

"Well, that was tough," Karly remarked.

"But at least we did it," Portia said.

Washington and Ferris arrived next, followed by Drew. After that came Austin and Linus, although they were using ropes to drag their rocks up.

"Just a little something I thought might help," Austin said.

"Okay," Chris said. "We're just waiting for a few more."

It took much more waiting, but eventually Teddy arrived.

"Yes, yes, yes,!" Teddy cheered as he gradually pushed his rock to the top. "Oh…I need to just…"

He collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

"Wow, never thought I'd see Teddy out of energy," Marion remarked.

"Don't…count me…out!" Betty exclaimed as she slowly brought up her rock. "I'm still in…I'm still in!"

Betty finally arrived at the checkpoint with everyone else.

"Now we're just waiting on Yu and Randall," Chris said.

Yu arrived next, but she wasn't carrying any rock.

"Sorry, couldn't do it," she sighed. "I'm not strong like you guys. But good luck to everyone still in."

"And that just leaves Randall," Chris said. "Where is that guy?"

The camera dropped down to the base of the mountain where Randall was still struggling to move his rock even an inch.

"Randall? You done?" Chris called.

"I'm still trying," Randall said.

"Yeah, you're done," Chris said. "Okay, Randall, Yu, and Brienne are all out, but the rest of you are in. It's time to move onto our next task."

Chris led the remaining campers along the plateau to one of the edges.

"From here," Chris explained, "you will cross a rope over this space and reach the next checkpoint at that ridge. And don't worry, we're above a river, so if you fall you'll just land there…but you will be out."

"I feel so much safer already," Ferris remarked dryly.

"Okay, who's up first?" Chris asked.

"Child's play," Aloysius remarked as he easily crossed the rope at a walking pace.

"Is there anything this guy can't do?" Karly remarked.

"Here, I'll show you how it's done," Mel said as she stepped forward.

Mel began to cross the rope slowly, but about halfway across, a gust of wind shook the rope. She paused and regain her balance as the rope wobbled. Once she had regained herself, she kept walking. She paused several more times, but managed to make it to the end.

"Who's next?" Chris asked.

"I suppose I should get it over with," Betty said. "Don't want to let me team down after all."

Betty took a few steps along the rope, but immediately began to flail.

"Whoa…whoa!" she exclaimed as she swayed from side to side.

Suddenly she flopped right over the edge. Everyone cringed as she cannonballed into the water.

"Well, that does it for Betty," Chris said.

"I'll go next," Portia said. "I'm still pretty sapped, but I'm not going to get my energy back in these next couple of minutes anyways."

Portia carefully walked along the rope, taking it one step at a time. The wind continued to blow and she froze in place. She then kept moving, but an even slower pace.

"Ugh, this is taking forever!" Mel scoffed.

"Mel," Karly scolded. "Don't make her lose focus."

Eventually Portia reached the end and joined Mel and Aloysius.

"I'll try now," Rocky offered as she stepped forward.

Rocky walked with confidence, but still took time to keep her balance. However, a sudden gust of wind caught her off guard and it looked like she was about to tumble over the side. Just before she fell, though, a raven fluttered over to her and grabbed her necklace, pulling her back onto the rope.

"Thanks, Miss Raven, you came just at the right time," Rocky said before making it to the other side.

"Let me at it!" Linus exclaimed. "I'll be sure to conquer this rope."

Linus ran along the rope with determination. However, he soon began to wobble uncontrollably.

"Oh no, this isn't good," Portia remarked frightfully.

Instead of stopping, Linus just kept running. However, just before he reached the end, he stumbled over the edge and plummeted into the water.

"Linus is out," Chris said.

"My turn," Renada said as she stepped forward.

She walked along the rope with skill and confidence. She managed to make it halfway across the rope with ease. However, suddenly a rock flew at her and hit her in the back of the head. She was knocked off balance and fell into the water.

"What was that!?" Karly exclaimed.

"Just evening out the odds," Marion remarked as he kicked up another rock.

"Don't think I didn't see that!" Linus exclaimed way down from the ground. "As soon as I get back up there I'll give you a taste of JUSTICE!"

The next few managed to cross without incident. Ferris, Marion, Washington, Austin, Florence, and Drew all got across.

"After seeing, uh…Princess Livia get out of…uh, the Imperial Dungeon, this is…pretty simple," Drew said.

"Okay, Karly, you're up now," Chris said.

"You can do it, Karly!" Portia cheered.

Karly tentatively put her feet on the ropes. She gradually made her way across. However, halfway across she tripped over her feet as the rope shook. She was unable to regain her balance in time and shot downward into the water.

"Ouch, there goes Karly," Chris said. "Okay, now it's just…"

He turned to Teddy who was still lying on the ground.

"Teddy, get up," Chris ordered. "Teddy, if you don't get up, you forfeit the challenge."

Teddy still didn't say anything so Chris gave him a light kick. Suddenly he sprung back up.

"Okay, let's do this, yep, crossing the rope, no problem, nope, I can do this!" Teddy said.

He then charged along the rope with quick speed. He bounced along the rope without a thought for trying to keep his balance. He swayed with the rope and stayed right on it. Just before reaching the end though, the wind picked up and he was knocked over. However, he reached out and managed to grab the rope before falling over the edge. He swung himself back up and finished the course.

"Alrighty, then," Chris said. "The Ferocious Fields now have Marion, Mel, Portia, Teddy, and Austin at five. The Tough Trees have Aloysius, Drew, Ferris, Florence, Rocky, and Washington at six. Let's move onto our next task."

Chris crossed the rope and then led the campers further up along the mountain path.

"Great, more walking," Ferris sighed. "As if my feet weren't killing me already."

As the campers got higher, it got colder for them. Soon they began to see ice and snow forming on their surroundings. Since they were all dressed for a summer on an island beach, many of them were shivering with cold now. Portia clung onto Washington for warmth, Florence wrapped his arms around his body while shivering, and even Aloysius was slowing down.

"I-I-I'm…s-s-s-so…c-c-c-c-cold…" Teddy said while vibrating at an intense level.

"Did you know that most animals and birds can puff up their fur or feathers to retain heat?" Rocky said cheerfully.

"Too bad we're not animals," Marion replied.

"I know right, why haven't we invented clothes that can do that?" Rocky said.

"Okay, guys, here we are," Chris said as they stopped in a snowy spot.

"What's so special about this spot?" Austin asked.

"Nothing," Chris said. "But for your next task you'll have to stay here."

"That's it?" Ferris asked. "That doesn't sound too tough."

"Trust me, there's got to be more," Marion said.

"And there is," Chris said before pushing a button.

Suddenly the ground shook as an explosion went off in the distance.

"Get ready for an avalanche!" Chris said as his helicopter arrived to pick him up. "Good luck."

The ground continued to shake as a storm of snow came headed for them.

"Eeek! What do we do!?" Portia exclaimed.

Rocky called out, "Oh, Mr.—"

Suddenly Mel covered her mouth as she exclaimed, "No! No more animal friends to save you!"

The snow as fast coming at them. Marion ran for a tree and began to climb. Ferris ran for some large rocks and tried to position herself among the safely. Teddy ran around in circles frantically.

"Quick, in here!" Austin called as he spotted a cave.

Portia saw him and ran after him. Drew was simply standing still.

"Okay, let's not panic," Florence said. "We just need to figure something out quick."

"Is it, uh…just me or…uh, does that log look…kinda like a, uh…you know, shield?" Drew said while pointing.

"I don't think this is the time for…wait, that gives me an idea," Florence said as he grabbed Drew and ran over to the smooth log.

Aloysius meanwhile was just staring at the approaching avalanche.

"Bring it on," he said.

The snow was pouring down on them now. Portia slipped on the ice and fell to the ground before reaching the cage. She was swept away the snow before she could get up. Mel and Rocky continued to struggle together and didn't have time to escape the oncoming snow. Both were engulfed in the snow. The tree Marion was in shook violently as the snow forced past it. Ferris nervously kept climbing up the rocks, trying to get out of the snows reached. Aloysius simply leapt forward when the snow came to him. He landed on some debris skillfully. He leapt from log to boulder all without losing his grip.

"Hey, Al, good idea, huh!?" Teddy said as he ran rapidly against the current of snow. "Mind if I copy you?"

Teddy skipped upwards and landed on a branch.

"Beat it," Aloysius said.

"But I wanna win, you heard Chris, you can't win if you leave," Teddy said while running along a rolling boulder like a hamster in a wheel.

As the snow reached Florence and Drew, Florence used the log like a sled and directed it. The snow swept them up, but they were able to stay above it and ride along their makeshift sled.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Florence exclaimed as they rocketed along the mountain.

Meanwhile, the tree Marion was hanging onto was getting ripped out of its roots. Marion leapt off, but had nowhere else to go. He was swept up in the relentless avalanche. Ferris was also knocked out of her, point and rolled backwards. Before Marion got completely engulfed, however, he was able to grab onto a large log rolling for him. The log got wedged between some of the rocks and was held in place.

By now, Florence and Drew were headed towards the edge of the mountain.

"Okay, we're going to need to do some fancy work pretty fast," Florence said. "Now, when I say 'jump'…jump."

"How about, uh…when you say…'duck' I'll jump?" Drew said. "'Jump' is…uh, such a cliché."

"Uh, okay," Florence said. "Duck!"

The two boys leapt out of their sled and grabbed onto a large tree that had managed to stay in place. Eventually the avalanche began to die down and the snow cleared away.

"Okay, let's see what the damage is now," Chris said.

Florence and Drew dropped down from their tree and walked over to the host. Austin burrowed out of the hole he had hidden in. Marion let go of the log he was clinging to and joined them.

"Coming through!" Teddy exclaimed as he and Aloysius rolled along a boulder together.

They hopped off right in front of Chris.

"Congratulations, you've all made it," Chris said. "Now let's go check on the others."

The group walked along the ledge and looked down at a lower level of the mountain where all of the snow had piled up. Portia, Ferris, Mel, and Rocky were all lying in a giant snowball together.

"Hm, and where's Washington?" Chris asked.

"Hello," Washington said as he clung to an icicle hanging over the cliff just beneath them.

Suddenly the icicle snapped and Washington joined the others.

"Okay, that does it for this round," Chris said. "Aloysius, Florence, and Drew will be still fighting for the Tough Trees, while Marion, Austin, and Teddy are still in it for the Ferocious Fields."

"Yeah, we're gonna do this, we're gonna win this, right guys!?" Teddy exclaimed.

"Sure, whatever you say," Austin said.

"Well, let's move along to our next task," Chris said as he guided the campers to another part of the mountain.

The six remaining campers came to another ledge. They looked over and saw a target waiting for them on the ground.

"Oh, please don't tell me this is what I think it is," Marion said.

"Yep," Chris said. "You'll be diving down to that itty-bitty target all the way from up here. Now we do have parachutes which should work."

"Should?" Florence asked.

"Eh, probably," Chris said. "If you land on the target, you're still in, if you miss you're out."

"Ooh, me first!" Teddy exclaimed as he grabbed a parachute and leapt over the edge. "Woohoo!"

He performed various spins and rolls in the air before releasing his parachute just in time to land in the target.

"Teddy is through," Chris said.

"Allow me," Aloysius said as he took his parachute.

He simply stepped over the edge and plummeted downward. As he shot down he gave a bored glance and then pulled his parachute. He landed right in the center.

"Both Aloysius and Teddy will be moving on," Chris said.

"I'll give a try," Austin said as he took a parachute.

Nervously he stepped forward before jumping. He began to flair nervously. He tugged at his parachute which expanded right into the mountainside. The sheet and wires got tangled in the sharp rocks and Austin was left suspended.

"You're out," Chris said.

"I guess I'm up now," Florence said.

He grabbed a parachute and leapt over the edge.

"Geronimo!" he exclaimed before pulling his parachute.

He was headed right for the edge of the target. He swayed between making it and missing it until he landed right on the edge.

"Florence is still in," Chris announced.

"I'll go," Drew said as he took a parachute.

He jumped over and began to soar through the air.

"You know, this…uh, kinda reminds me of the uh…time that Sammy the Owl…uh, lost his wings because…" Drew didn't realize that he was headed right from a tree.

With a crash he got caught in the leaves and branches.

"Ooh, that had to hurt," Chris remarked. "Okay, Marion, just you now."

Marion took his parachute with determination. He stepped forward and leapt over the edge. As he fell towards the target he began to spin off course. He tried to push himself back in the right direction, but it proved to be harder than he thought. With no other option he pulled his parachute.

"And…" Chris announced, "…Marion makes it, just barely."

Marion realized that the tip of his foot had touched the edge of the target.

"Okay, you four," Chris said, "there's one task last and it will decide who wins."

After a quick transportation by helicopter, Chris joined the four on the ground.

"I bet after all that you could use a nice warm bath," Chris said.

"You know it," Florence remarked.

"Well, too bad," Chris said. "Instead, you'll be spending some time in these ice cold tubs of water."

Chris revealed the four wooden tubs each filled with water and floating ice.

"You have got to be kidding me," Marion said.

"You can come out when you feel you've had enough," Chris said, "but the person who stays in the longest will win immunity for their team."

The four boys got into the ice cold tubs. Immediately they could feel the piercing temperature.

"Oh, this does not feel good," Florence said as he shivered.

"Gotta stay in, gotta stay in!" Teddy said frantically as he banged his head against the side of the tub. "Ignore the cold, ignore the cold."

"I can do this," Aloysius said through clenched teeth. "It's just cold…can't hurt me."

"I'm out!" Marion exclaimed as he got out of the tub. "I can take this any longer."

"Okay, it's just Teddy in it for the Fields now," Chris said. "If he's out next then that does it for that team."

"Nope, not gonna let them down!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Just…give up…so we can all…get out of here," Aloysius said as he shivered rapidly.

"Never, nope, not me, uh-uh!" Teddy said as he slapped his face from side to side.

"Ugh, I'm not going to take any more of this," Aloysius said as he got out. "I've done more than enough already."

"It's Florence versus Teddy," Chris said.

Florence was rubbing his hands together futilely. Teddy was shaking at a violent level now. Both boy looked like they were ready to burst at any second. Suddenly someone leapt out. It was…

….

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Teddy!

"Florence wins!" Chris exclaimed. "That means that the Tough Trees are immune!"

There was a mix of cheers and boos.

"I'm just glad that's over," Florence remarked as he got out of the tub.

"Okay, Tough Trees, you're safe tonight," Chris said. "Ferocious Fields, I'll be seeing you at the Gazebo of Defeat."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**Alright, it's time to put my plan into action. It's time for everyone to see that I mean business! All I need is Mel.

**Teddy-**Nooooo! I'm a failure…again!

**Florence-**I could really use some chicken soup right about now.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields)

"Listen, Mel, I'm telling you, this is the best option for you," Marion said.

"And who are you to tell me what's best for me?" Mel spat.

The two were back in the same spot they were in during the morning, arguing again.

"Look, you don't have to join my alliance, but at least vote with us," Marion said. "Portia and Karly want you gone, don't you want to get rid of them for that?"

"Hmm…I suppose you have a point," Mel said. "But don't think this means anything. No one tells me what to do except me!"

"Of course, of course, whatever you say," Marion said with a smug grin.

He then walked back to where Brienne, Randall, and Austin were waiting.

"Okay, Mel is in," Marion said. "And it's time to show everyone that we have the power. It's time to show everyone that this game is in our hands, and they are nothing but pawns!"

"Whoa, intense," Austin remarked to Randall.

Meanwhile, in the shelter, Karly had gathered Portia, Teddy, and Linus.

"Okay people, it's pretty simple," Karly said. "Mel needs to go, and I think we all know it. As soon as she goes, things will get a lot better for us."

"Agreed, she's evil!" Linus said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**While I could easily eliminate whoever I want tonight, I plan on making this into a spectacle. I want to make this into an example of what I'm capable of. Tonight everyone will finally see just what they're dealing with!

**Randall-**Wow, Marion's really taking this pretty seriously. Well, I'm just worried about surviving for another day. I doubt Mel would agree to working with us if she knew I was in this alliance.

**Karly-**Hopefully this elimination won't have any surprises like the last one. I just want to keep this simple and easy. Mel goes, end of story.

* * *

(Gazebo of Defeat)

"Ferocious Fields, welcome back," Chris exclaimed as the team sat down at the nine seats. "You gave a good fight today, but it wasn't enough."

"Not everyone was trying their best," Karly remarked.

"I know right," Brienne replied. "Like Teddy giving up right at the last minute, what was that?"

"I meant you," Karly snapped.

"Okay, ladies, let's just leave the questions to me," Chris said. "Brienne, Karly does have a point, you performed the worst during the challenge."

"Eh, I knew we were losing," Brienne said. "Just call it my woman's intuition. And besides, like I said, I've got a strong alliance to keep me safe."

"Ha, lies!" Linus exclaimed. "No one would dare to align with her, she's a slimy scumbag!"

"Um, I'm pretty sure I can sue you for slander, you know," Brienne retorted.

"So, Brienne, if you do have a strong alliance, who's in it?" Chris asked.

"That's classified information," Brienne replied.

"Yeah, she's just delusional," Karly remarked.

"It's me, Randall, Austin, and Mel" Marion declared.

"Marion, you're telling me that you five have an alliance going?" Chris asked.

"That's right," Marion said. "The five of us have the majority and we'll be eliminating who we choose tonight."

"What!? No, no, no!" Linus exclaimed. "An alliance of two I could handle, three, even four…but five!? Five of you are siding with evil!?"

"Randall, is this true?" Portia asked. "Are you working with them?"

"I'm just trying to stay safe," Randall muttered while keeping his head down.

"Portia, you sound surprised," Chris said.

"Well, we suspected that Marion might be trouble, but I thought Randall was actually a nice guy," Portia said. "I can't believe he's working with Mel who's done nothing but torment him."

"Working with him was not my idea," Mel said. "If I had my way, I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. But circumstances being what they are, I'll have to put up with him for now to get rid of who I really want gone."'

"And who is that?" Chris asked.

"Portia," Marion answered.

"Me?!" Portia exclaimed in surprise. "Why me?"

"I don't believe you have the drive to be out here in this game," Marion replied. "And besides, you're already rich, you don't deserve the money."

"That's not fair!" Karly interrupted. "Portia has been trying very hard, which is more than the majority of your alliance can say."

"Well, I'd be willing to give Portia a chance," Marion said.

"Huh?" Portia asked.

"I'll let you prove that you have what it takes to be out here," Marion said. "While our target was originally you, I may switch it to Karly…if you're lucky."

"What are you talking about?" Portia demanded.

"If anyone in my alliance is feeling generous or merciful to you, then just maybe they'll vote for Karly," Marion said. "But you'll have to meet us half way and vote for Karly as well. Prove to us that you will do whatever it takes to stay in and vote for your friend."

"I…I…," Portia said.

"Don't do it, Portia, stay strong!" Linus exclaimed

"It's your only choice," Marion said. "Otherwise that's the end for you."

"That's a bluff, don't listen to him," Karly said. "If he's really planning on splitting the votes then he won't have the majority and we can take him out."

"Are you really willing to take that risk, Portia?" Marion said. "If you don't impress me, I can send you home with five votes."

"I…I don't want to leave this early," Portia sobbed, "but…Karly, I…"

"Okay, okay, we really need to move along," Chris said. "It's time to vote."

"Remember what I said…all of you," Marion said before getting up.

As Portia held her head in her hands, Karly, Teddy, and Linus all looked between each other uncertainly.

(Later)

"Okay, I have the votes," Chris said. "If you get a green light you are safe."

Tension was tight between everyone sitting in their seats.

"First green light goes to…Randall," Chris said.

Randall kept his head down as the light shone down on him.

"Brienne."

"Teddy."

"Linus."

"Mel."

"Austin."

"And….

…

…

"Marion!"

This just left Karly and Portia.

"Karly, Portia, one of you will be the third person eliminated," Chris said, "but the person who is safe is…"

…

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"Portia!"

"I'm so sorry," Portia whispered to Karly.

"Karly, you received the majority of the votes and have been eliminated," Chris said.

Karly sighed as she got up.

"Marion, you and your alliance will come to regret this," Karly said as she turned away from them.

"I'd feel a lot more worried if the person saying that wasn't about to leave the island," Marion replied.

"Okay, Ferocious Fields, you may head back to your camp," Chris said. "Karly, you're coming with me."

As the team left, Chris guided Karly along the Walk of Shame and into the Fanboat of Losers.

"Now, for the fun part," Chris said to Karly.

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Having explained the concept of the island to Karly, Chris booted her out of the boat and dropped her on the sand.

"Good luck," he called as he boated away.

Karly looked around at her surroundings. Curiously, she examined the crystal ruins. As she approached the temple she heard a pounding.

"Huh?" she said as she investigated.

"You have to help me!" someone cried frantically. "Get me out of here!"

"Oh my!" Karly exclaimed as she tried to open the door.

"No, it won't open that way," Pedro said from the other end. "That crystal over there, it's a lever."

Karly looked around and began experimentally tugging on crystals until she found the one that opened the door.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Pedro exclaimed as he hugged Karly.

"How did you get trapped in there?" Karly asked.

"The temple is booby trapped," Pedro said. "If we're going to get through it, we'll need to do it together…but first…I really need to get something to eat."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**Freedom at last! I'm definitely going to be a lot more careful about what I do from now on.

* * *

Sandy had wandered back to her shelter. She sat down in her makeshift bed just as the sun set. She twirled the necklace in her fingers curiously. She pointed it at the temple, looking for where it might belong.

"Well, looks like I'll be doing a lot more exploring these next couple of days," she said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**This has got to be important, but finding out what it is exactly does is the trick. Well, it's got to have something to do with the temple, and I intend to find out what.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Mel-**You made it very clear that you want me out, so I'm just returning the favor. I vote for Karly.

**Austin-**I'm voting for Portia, all according to plan.

**Karly-**I vote for Marion, he's not going to get away with this.

**Randall-**I'm really sorry Portia, but I've got to protect myself.

**Marion-**I vote for Karly…but it's in the other's hands now. Let's see what they do now. If Portia goes, then mission successful, if Karly goes then Portia is on her way to breaking which will certainly be fun.

**Brienne-**I vote for Portia, you really are worthless, you know that.

**Teddy-**Sorry, Karly, I really, really, really hate this, but I feel bad for poor Portia, I don't want her to go home now.

**Linus-**Grrr, that was a dirty move and you will pay for it! But in the meantime my priority has got to be to save the damsel in distress which is clearly Portia, so I'm afraid I have to vote for Karly.

**Portia-**I'm sorry Karly, I really am. I just can't risk losing the game at this point. I refuse to let that happen, I still have to prove what I can do. But I promise, I will avenge you.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And so Karly joins Pedro and Sandy on Not Quite Loser Island," Chris said. "With Marion putting his plan into action, is there no stopping him from taking total control of the island? While Linus fight back, or will Mel break off from him? That's all still to come. And with Aloysius on their team, are the Tough Trees set to win everyone challenge from now on? Will Yu befriend Aloysius, or is it a futile attempt? You're going to want to check in for the next…Total…Drama…Strandarama!"

**Teams:**

Ferocious Fields:

_Karly-The Natural Leader_

Marion-The Sadistic Strategist

Brienne-The Narcissus

_Sandy-The "Nice" Girl_

Portia-The Aristocrat

Linus-The Warrior of JUSTICE

Teddy-The Parakeet

Randall-The Epic Fail

Austin-The Paranormal Fan

Mel-The Loudmouthed Complainer

Tough Trees:

_Pedro-The Businessman_

Rocky-The Animal Whisperer

Drew-The Daydreamer

Florence-The Chill Guy

Betty-The Over-Thinker

Washington-The Nobody

Ferris-The Loner

Aloysius-The Badass in a Suit

Renada-The Dumb Muscle

Yu-The Ray of Sunshine

**Not Quite Loser Island: **Sandy, Pedro, Karly

_Author's Note: And there goes Karly. I had noticed that in a lot of my previous fics whenever I needed a victim it was usually the sidekick or friend to one of the main characters. I decided this time to do something a little different and have a victim be someone who was very front and center. Karly was set up as the leader of the Ferocious Fields, and yet she was always doomed to be a victim of Marion toying with Portia. But if you're a fan, don't despair, there's still NQLI._


	7. The Fallout

_Author's Note: Hello people ^_^ So, as you've probably noticed, I've been super, super busy with class, and having a social life for the first time in years. But I managed to get some time to finish the next chapter of Strandarama. Not sure when I'll have time for another one, but I'll try whenever I can._

"Welcome back to Total Drama Strandarama," Chris said as he stood in the Gazebo of Shame late at night. "Last time we had a dramatic episode where two powerful forces clashed. First off, at the challenge, it was a close match, but Florence managed to win it for the Tough Trees. Following that, it soon became Karly and Marion battling with alliances. Marion managed to rope in Mel which gave him the majority, however, instead of simply voting out Portia, he gave her the option to vote out Karly to save herself. Portia, along with Teddy and Linus, went through with the offer and sent Karly to Not Quite Loser Island. In fact, the drama hasn't even ended yet, we're starting this episode just minutes after the last one ended to show you the fallout of that last elimination. The war has begun so you're not going to want to miss this episode of Total Drama Strandarama!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

The sun crept along the shore of the island. Karly and Pedro had put together a shoddy shelter on the sand and we're just awaking from a light sleep.

"Well, I thought my old shelter was uncomfortable," Karly remarked, "but I'd gladly have it back now."

"Just be thankful you didn't have to spend a night in the rock hard temple," Pedro shuddered. "But speaking of which, I was hoping that we could explore a little more today. Now that there are two of us and we know what we're dealing with, we might be able to make a little progress."

"That makes sense," Karly said. "One of us should have to stay behind in case the other gets stuck again."

"I'll do that," Pedro said. "I've had enough of that temple for now."

"Very well," Karly said. "Looks like I'll be doing a little exploring."

Pedro pulled the lever and opened the door for Karly to enter. She walked slowly as she stepped into the temple.

"Watch out," Pedro said. "There are traps. Don't step on that panel."

Karly nodded as she clung to the wall and inched her way through the ancient corridor.

"Hm, these are interesting," Karly remarked as she saw some runes in the wall. "A little hard to make out in the dark though."

She backed up as she tried to examine the markings. As she stepped over a certain panel, she heard a click.

"Huh," she said before the floor suddenly slid open.

Karly squealed as she shot down a chute.

"Oh…dear," Pedro gasped.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**Oh this is bad. As soon as I get a little help, I lose her. I should have known there'd be more traps like that…oh well, better her than me at least.

* * *

Over on the other side of the temple, Sandy was experimenting with the necklace in every nook and cranny she could find.

"Ugh, come on, do something useful!" she snapped. "You're all I've got. Can't you give me some kind of hint?"

She tapped the jewel against the wall in frustration, but of course, nothing happened.

"Grr," Sandy groaned as she tossed the necklace away.

However, she quickly realized what she had done and ran after it. The necklace had gotten tangled in a tree.

"Sorry about that," Sandy said as she started to climb up the tree.

Just as she was about to reclaim the jewellery, a furry paw reached out from the tree and scooped up the shiny object.

"Huh, what?" Sandy remarked.

A small monkey peered down at her curiously.

"Oh, hello there little fellow," Sandy said. "Would you mind handing that over?"

The monkey looked at the necklace curiously, before leaping away with it.

"No, I need that!" Sandy shouted as she chased after the monkey.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**Great, the one lead I possibly have in this, and it's in the hands of a dirty simian now.

* * *

(Fierce Fields)

Marion led his tribe as they walked back to their camp. Mel followed with Randall stumbling behind her. Portia sulked in the rear, with Teddy slowly walking with her. In the center of it all, Linus was waving his hands wildly as he screamed and Brienne and Austin.

"That was a completely underhanded, cruel, and absolutely EVIL move!" he shouted. "You're all monsters, every single one of you!"

"What do you know about monsters?" Austin said as he rolled his eyes. "Clearly, nothing so why don't you just leave the talk to the experts."

"Let me handle this," Brienne said as she turned to Linus. "You're annoying, so shut up."

"No, I will not shut up, because you cannot silence JUSTICE!" Linus exclaimed. "You'll pay for what you've done, evil doers such as yourself never prosper, you shall have JUSTICE served soon enough."

"Um, did you forget last season?" Marion asked.

"Last season was a failure," Linus said. "This time I am here to ensure that villains like you get the karma you deserve."

"Well, good luck with that, I'm going to sleep," Brienne said as they arrived at the shelter.

As Portia arrived outside the shelter she sat down on a rock.

"I'm really, really, really sorry for what happened," Teddy said as she sat down.

"It's not your fault," Portia said. "It's Marion's."

"Yeah, totally, absolutely, he's a scumbag, a bottomfeeder, nothing but trouble," Teddy exclaimed. "But, uh…what are we going to do now?"

"Well, I'll tell you what we're not going to do," Portia said firmly. "We're not going to give in without a fight, and we are not going to let Marion and his clique get away with this."

"Oh," Teddy said. "Sounds good."

"Karly may be gone, but her loss will not be in vain," Portia declared. "You and I are going to have to give it everything we got to come out on top of this fight."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**I tried to play nice, I really thought we could all just get along. But Marion made a mistake, and he's going to regret it. I'm not playing nice anymore, I'm playing to take him and his clique down!

**Marion-**Last night was a complete success. Karly, my biggest opposition is gone, and the others are just sitting ducks. They're so pathetic that I told them exactly who to vote for and they did it. They don't stand a chance now.

**Linus-**Ugh, I just can't believe these people. All five of them are nothing but pure villains. And as the hero is my duty to defeat each and every one of them.

**Austin-**Okay, Linus is seriously getting on my nerves. Like, it's a stupid game, why is he being such a brat about it? Well, if anything, I'm glad I'm in the majority now because I can't wait for the moment when I vote him out next.

* * *

(Tough Trees, The Next Morning)

"Good morning, Aloysius!" Yu said sunnily as she leaned over the waking Aloysius.

"Ah! Get out of my face," Aloysius snapped.

"How are you feeling tonight? I hope you slept well," Yu said.

"That is none of your business," Aloysius sniffed.

"Okay, that's fine," Yu said without losing her smile. "So, what do you want to do today? We could go for a walk, or pick flowers, or braid each other's hair…"

"How about we do something that involves me and you being in completely opposite areas?" Aloysius suggested.

"But then we wouldn't get to bond," Yu pouted.

"Precisely, the less I have to do with filth like you, the better," Aloysius scoffed.

"You want to know what I think?" Yu asked.

"That is the last thing that I want," Aloysius responded.

"I don't think you really mean all the nasty things you say, I think you're actually really nice and you just need a friend," Yu said.

"Well, then you'd be 100% and absolutely incorrect," Aloysius replied.

"I'll just have to keep trying then," Yu said with her trademark grin.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**Ugh, I can't stand anyone on my tribe and Yu is the worst of them all. They depend on me to stay safe in this game, but do I get any respect? No, of course not. Maybe I should start throwing challenges, that'll get them to realize just how much they need me.

**Yu-**Aloysius wouldn't be my first choice for someone to hang out with, but he's a person just like you and me, and since we're probably going to be spending a lot of time anyways, I might as well try to make the best of it.

* * *

(Fierce Fields)

Randall was trying to gather firewood. He had a meager pile and was carrying it back to camp. However, on his way he tripped over his feet and spilled sticks everywhere.

"Ugh, stupid kid," Mel grumbled from the rock she was sitting on.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Mistress of Mel-oncholy herself," Marion chuckled as he walked up to Mel. "You see, I told you I could come up with a better pun if you gave me time."

"Do you expect a medal?" Mel scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

"I just wanted to thank you for sticking with us last night," Marion said. "With the way things are going now, we've got a straight path to the merge."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's this 'we' talk?" Mel exclaimed. "Did I not make it clear that I wasn't joining your stupid little alliance?"

"I just thought—" Marion tried to say.

"Well you thought wrong!" Mel exclaimed. "I want nothing to do with you, so don't treat me like one of your pawns!"

"Now, now, don't you think you're being a little Mel-odramatic?" Marion asked.

"No, and I…oh ha, ha, very funny," Mel rolled her eyes again. "But the answer is still, 'Leave me alone and don't come back!'"

"Have it your way," Marion sighed as he left her behind.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**I seriously don't get what Mel's problem is, but if she's walking away from an easy majority than she's making a huge mistake. For her sake, she'd realize this, otherwise I'll have to do away with her.

**Mel-**Sure, I could ride Marion's coattails to the final 5, but is that what I want to do? God no! I'm playing my game and that means that I'm not a servant or vote for anyone. The only person I plan to enable in this game is me!

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Rocky was giggling as a family of ladybugs crept along her arm.

"Hi there, little guys," she said. "How was your morning walk?"

"Rocky!" Betty exclaimed as she charged towards the girl.

Betty grabbed Rocky's arm frantically and sent the insects flying.

"Uh, what is it?" Rocky asked.

"I just wanted to talk with you again," Betty said.

"Um, okay," Rocky said.

"First off, I'd like to apologize for the way I behaved yesterday," Betty said. "I would like to request that you do not base your character judgement on me with anything I said to you last day, as you would be way off track. I swear, I'm a good ally and friend, not some crazy, schemer, I promise!"

"Uhhh…if you say so," Rocky said.

"So, you'll accept my alliance!?" Betty exclaimed eagerly as her face lit up.

"Did I say that?" Rocky asked.

"Yes you did," Betty said as she began nodding excitedly. "So, tell me, what's the plan, who do you think we should vote off next if we lose? Not that I plan on losing, of course, that's the last thing I want, in fact, if there was a way to strategize who to constantly win then it would be the best strategy ever…oh my gosh, you don't think someone's thought of that already do you!? What if it's someone on the other team, what if they start winning and they never lose and every single one of us gets eliminated and…!"

"Hey, Betty!" Florence called. "Drew and I are going to go skip rocks, do you want to come?"

"Do I!?" Rocky exclaimed as she rushed over to join the boys.

"Wait, we weren't done strategizing!" Betty called.

However, realizing that Florence and Drew could hear her she immediately covered her mouth.

"We're not aligned or anything, I swear!" she added.

From another part of the camp, Ferris, Washington, and Renada were gathering firewood.

"Ugh, I can't believe them," Renada grumbled. "They're skipping rocks while we're actually doing real work? It's ridiculous."

"I full-heartedly agree," Washington said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rocky-**Betty…kinda scares me….but I'm more worried for her.

**Renada-**You know, maybe if people on this tribe actually cared about winning, we could vote out Aloysius. I came here to win challenges, not have challenges won by some rich snob in a suit.

* * *

(Fierce Fields)

Teddy spotted Portia putting up large sticks together.

"Hey, whatcha doing, what's that, are you making something?" Teddy asked eagerly as he examined every side.

"Yes, I'm trying to make a new shelter," Portia said. "Marion made it clear that we aren't welcome here, so I think we deserve our own home."

"Oh yeah, that makes sense, yeah totally, I agree, here let me help, I wanna help, I'm gonna help now!" Teddy exclaimed as he began putting some more logs in place.

As the two continued to work, Linus walked by with a beartrap clamped around his body.

"Oh my, what happened to you?" Portia asked.

"Austin," Linus grumbled. "He said it was an accident, but I don't believe a word he says. He's a filthy liar and he's out to get me."

"Hey, hey, maybe you should join our alliance!" Teddy exclaimed. "The three of us, the underdogs, the heroes, the oppressed! We will fight back, we're gonna win, we're gonna bring them down!"

"That's right," Portia said. "The three of us are on the outs right now, but if we work together, there just might be a chance for us."

"Hmmm…I agree," Linus said as he put his hand forward. "And I'd say it's more than a chance. When three pure souled heroes like us get together, there's no stopping us."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**I'm already feeling better knowing that I've got true friends in Linus and Teddy. It's not going to be easy, but we're going to stay strong.

**Teddy-**Oh man, this is going to be so good. I'm going to give those guys a few of these (punches the air rapidly) and a few of these (kicks upwards) and then some of these (bangs his head against the wall)…Ow.

* * *

(Later)

The two tribes met up in the woods where Chris was waiting for them.

"Welcome, campers," Chris said. "It's time for another challenge, once again this time it's for reward. What reward is this time? Well, it's something very special, something that puts all the past rewards to shame…if you win this challenge, you will be given an advantage in the next immunity challenges."

A series of 'ooh's came from the two tribes.

"We have to win this," Portia exclaimed under her breath to Teddy. "Immunity is more important than ever now."

"Maybe that'll actually be able to cancel up the handicap known as Randall," Mel added.

"Don't get your hopes up," Renada said from the other team. "We're gonna win that reward."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Aloysius remarked to her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Renada snapped.

"Well, I could explain it to you, but your peon brain wouldn't be able to keep you," Aloysius scoffed.

"Okay, okay, people let's get this challenge under way," Chris said. "This challenge has two parts, and if we need to we can go to a tiebreaker round. Here's how it'll work, three people from each team will play per round, you'll need to get a ball from the center of the course to your basket. If we go to a tiebreaker it'll be two versus two. Now, I'll need one person to step out of this challenge for the Tough Trees to keep things even."

"Okay," Washington said as he stepped back.

"Great, now we'll randomly select two teams of three for the first round," Chris said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**Winning challenges is really important for me. I'm at risk every time we go to the Gazebo of Shame now, so immunity is the one sure way to stay safe.

**Florence-**We've been doing pretty good as a team so far. I feel a little bad for the others, but I'm not about to slow down our winning streak for them.

* * *

(Later)

"Time for our first round," Chris said. "On the Trees' side it's Aloysius, Renada, and Betty. On the Fields' side it's Austin, Teddy, and Brienne."

The three from each team were spread out through the forest, while the rest stood by Chris watching from the sides.

"Play ball!" Chris exclaimed as he tossed a large brown ball into the center of the course.

"Gimme, gimme!" Teddy exclaimed as he charged straight for it.

Austin followed behind him, while Brienne didn't bother moving.

"Oh no you don't," Renada growled as she charged at Teddy.

"We've gotta stop him," Betty added.

Teddy grabbed the ball and began rolling it back towards his basket.

"Oh how awful," Aloysius said with mock emotion as he stayed in place.

Renada lunged at Teddy, but she ended up crashing into Betty who was coming in from the other side.

"Ha, ha, yay!" Teddy exclaimed as he began balancing on the ball while rolling it.

"Outta my way," Renada said as she shoved Betty aside.

She charged at Teddy again and delivered a kick to the ball. It shot out from under Teddy's feet and soared deeper into the woods.

"After it!" Austin exclaimed as he grabbed a vine and swung after the rolling ball.

"No, no, no!" Teddy exclaimed as he followed the ball.

"You're not getting it again, twerp," Renada said as she started to sprint and catch up with Teddy.

"I'm coming too!" Betty exclaimed. "Just let me…catch my…breath."

"Ugh, what is the hold up?" Brienne scoffed as she worked on her nails. "Let's get this done already."

The others had caught up with the ball by now. Teddy dived for it, but Renada kicked him aside.

"It's mine now!" she said as she grabbed the ball and began to run with it.

"Not anymore," Austin said as he swung on a vine and swiped the ball from Renada's grip.

"Hey, what the!?" Renada exclaimed as Austin made off with the ball.

Austin landed on a branch, grabbed another vine and began to swing back towards his basket.

"You get back here right now!" Renada shouted.

"Brienne, catch!" Austin exclaimed.

"Huh?" Brienne said as she turned to face them.

The ball slammed into her face and bounced back into the trees.

"Um…ow," Brienne said in a dazed expression.

"I got it, I got it!" Betty exclaimed as she tried to position herself beneath the ball.

"Nope, but I've got it," Austin said as he swung next to the tree that the ball was wedged it.

"No, give it back!" Betty exclaimed as she began shaking the tree.

Both Austin and the ball fell out of the tree. The ball bounced away and rolled towards Aloysius.

"Quick, Al, throw it to the basket!" Betty shouted.

"What? This way?" Aloysius said as he picked up the ball and launched it in the complete opposite direction.

"Nooo!" Betty cried.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," Aloysius said smugly.

"After it!" Teddy exclaimed.

He, Renada, and Austin all zoomed towards the ball.

"Mine!" both Renada and Austin exclaimed as they dived for the ball.

"Nope, mine!" Teddy said as he jumped on the ball again and began rolling towards his basket.

"Hold it right there!" Betty shouted as she tackled into Teddy.

Once again the ball rolled out into the open. It rolled right up to Brienne.

"Oh, well, I guess I could just finish this off," Brienne said as she leaned forward.

"Ah, no!" Betty exclaimed before plowing into Brienne.

The ball rolled out again. Renada spotted it, but Teddy moved quicker. He kicked the ball and it soared right towards his basket. With a thud it landed in place.

"And Fierce Fields win the first round!" Chris exclaimed.

As the team celebrated, Renada marched over to Aloysius.

"Okay, what was that!?" she snapped.

"What was what?" Aloysius replied coyly.

"You completely failed at that challenge," Renada snapped.

"Isn't that what you want?" Aloysius said. "Don't you want to prove how valuable you are? Except, I couldn't help but notice that you didn't really do anything…so I suppose it worked to prove how fake you are."

"Shut up," Renada snapped.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**Well, I'd say that that was a success. If we lose the next challenge, people are sure to realize just how valuable I am and vote off one of those nuisances.

**Renada-**I cannot believe this. Who does Aloysius think he is, just deciding to not try in a challenge? As if we needed any more proof why he needs to go next.

**Teddy-**Yay, we did it, wow that was hard, it took a lot of work, a lot of effort, but it paid off, we're half way down, we've almost got that advantage!

* * *

(Later)

"Welcome to round two," Chris said.

The campers had moved out to the lake by now. Several floating platforms were set up in the water with a basket on either end.

"For the Fields it's Mel, Marion, and Portia," Chris said. "And for the Trees it's Rocky, Ferris, and Yu."

"Let's just have a nice fun match people," Yu said.

"Uh, that's nice and all, but I'd rather not let them that advantage," Ferris said.

"The Fields can end it right here," Chris said. "Or the Tough Trees can tie it up. Let round 2 begin!"

Chris tossed the ball out and it landed in the central platform. Portia, Marion, and Mel all lunged for it. Marion got to it first and grabbed it.

"Quick, stop him!" Ferris exclaimed as she chased after Marion.

"You're not going anywhere," Mel said as she blocked Ferris.

"Don't worry, I know someone who can get him," Rocky said. "Oh, Mr. Dolphin!"

Suddenly a dolphin burst out of the water and knocked the ball out of Marion's hands.

"No fair!" Marion shouted.

The dolphin juggled the ball on its nose, just out of Marion's reach.

"Give it back," Marion pouted as he flailed his arms after the ball.

"Over here, I'm open, I'm open!" Yu exclaimed as she leapt up.

The dolphin bounced the ball over to Yu.

"Not gonna happen," Mel said as she shoved Yu aside.

Mel grabbed the ball and headed towards her basket.

"That was not cool," Ferris said as she charged at Mel.

The two girls wrestled for the ball. Suddenly Portia rammed into Ferris and knocked her into the water.

"Sorry," she said. "But we need this win."

Mel grabbed the ball again and continued towards her basket. Rocky was coming up from behind her, though.

"Too slow," Mel scoffed. "You can't stop me now."

However, suddenly a burst of water shot out of the lake and sprayed over Mel. The girl winced and let the ball slip out of her hands.

"Hey, thanks, Mr. Dolphin!" Rocky called.

The dolphin gave a friendly cackle in reply. The ball was rolling along the platforms now. Marion charged for it, but Rocky pounced with catlike reflexes. Both of them grabbed the ball and began to fight over it.

"Let go! Portia exclaimed as she grabbed onto Rocky and tried to pull her off.

However, as they fought over the ball, Yu swiped the ball from all of them.

"Aha, it's mine!" Yu exclaimed as she changed directions and headed for her basket.

"You'll have to get past me first," Mel said as she blocked Yu's path.

"Yu, over here!" Rocky exclaimed.

Yu tossed the ball over to Rocky, but Portia tackled into Rocky. Marion ran for the ball, just as Ferris climbed out of the water and also dived for the ball. Ferris managed to kick it away from both of them. It soared to the water, where Mr. Dolphin balanced it on its nose again and bounced it back to the platforms. It rolled right between Mel, Portia, and Yu. All three girls dived for it. Portia and Mel ended up slamming into each other. This allowed Yu to grab the ball and run for the basket.

"No, stop her!" Marion exclaimed as he tried to chase after Yu.

However, Ferris grabbed onto Marion and held him back. Yu reached the basket and tossed the ball up into it.

"And the Tough Trees score their first point," Chris exclaimed. "That means we'll be going to a tiebreaker round."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**Wow, Portia may look like a sweet girl, but she sure can be aggressive.

**Portia-**Oh no, it's getting really close now. I was hoping to just end it there, but we'll just have to do even better on the next round.

* * *

(Later)

The campers had moved up into the treetops. Chris had revealed a series of bridges and platforms attached to the trees. It was a long drop back down to the ground. Everyone sat in seats on the side except for the four on the course.

"This is it," Chris said. "The battle to win the reward. On the Trees' side it's Drew and Florence. Over on the Fields' side we've got Randall and Linus."

"We shall win this…for JUSTICE!" Linus exclaimed.

"Wait, so, uh…if they're justice…does that make us…uh, injustice?" Drew asked. "In that case…uh, I'm going to be…uh, Captain Destruction…may lifelong goal is to, uh….destroy everything."

"You monster!" Linus gasped.

"For the winning point, begin!" Chris exclaimed as he tossed the ball onto the course.

Randall took a step forward, but the bridge wobbled and he stepped back.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," he said.

"Leave it to me," said Linus as he charged fearlessly across the bridge.

Linus closed in on the ball, but Florence was coming in from the other side.

"Yes, you…uh, show him…Evil Minion," Drew exclaimed.

Florence reached for the ball, but Linus grabbed it first.

"Ha, too slow, villain!" Linus exclaimed.

Linus hopped to another platform, but it wavered. Linus had to pause to catch his balance. This gave Florence a chance to catch up with him.

"No, stay back!" Linus said as he tried to lose Florence.

Florence closed in on Linus and grabbed onto him.

"You can't take me down that easily!" Linus said as he squirmed and struggled futilely.

Realizing he wasn't having any effect, he tossed the ball away from both of them. It rolled along the platforms and stopped on a bridge.

"Oh…I probably should uh…get that," Drew said as he slowly walked forward.

Randall saw his chance and also tried to go for it. He tried to pick up the pace, but the more the bridge wobbled, the more worried he got and he slowed down again. Both boys came up to the ball. Drew reached out and grabbed it.

"I'm afraid I can't let you get away with that," Randall said as he prepared to stop Drew.

However, suddenly the plank of wood he was standing on snapped and he had to scramble to grab onto something.

"No one…uh, faces Captain Destruction and um, you know…lives," Drew said as he casually walked back to his basket.

"Not so fast, Evil Doer!" Linus cried as he slid in front of Drew.

"Don't make me…uh, have to destroy you," Drew said.

"The only one getting destroyed is you and your diaboletical plan to steal that reward from us," Linus said as he tried to slap that ball out of Drew's hands.

However, Drew moved it out of the way just in time, and Linus ended up slapping Randall across the face and knocking him back over the edge.

"Oh…oops," Linus said.

Drew still had the ball now and he was trying to get past Linus.

"Try all you might, I'm not backing down!" Linus proclaimed.

"Okay," Drew said. "Minion…catch."

Drew tossed the ball over to Florence who caught it on the other side.

"Ah, no!" Linus cried.

Florence tossed the ball, but Linus tackled him in the stomach. The ball just bounced off the edge of the basket, and rolled back along the platforms. Drew moved for it again.

"No, stop!" Linus cried, but Florence held him back.

Drew took aim and prepared to shoot again. Linus acted fast though. With a sudden kick he launched off one of his shoes towards Drew. The shoe knocked him in the side and caused him to drop the ball yet again. Randall had pulled himself up by now and just in time for the ball to roll to his feet.

"Go!" Linus shouted. "Take it and win the point."

"Oh, right," Randall said as he picked up the ball and turned towards his basket.

"Not good," Drew said as he tried to chase after Randall.

Randall had enough of a lead, though, that he could get back to his basket before Drew.

"Okay, Randall, you can do this," Randall told himself. "Just throw it in, how hard could it be?"

Randall took aim and tossed the ball. It just missed the basket and bounced off the side of the tree. It ricocheted to a branch which snapped back and launched it into the air. The ball bounced between the trees before rolling down a semi-broken branch and falling neatly into the Tough Trees' basket.

"And…in a very unorthodox manner, the Tough Trees win reward!" Chris exclaimed. "Congratulations, Trees, next challenge you will have an advantage which will make it easier for you to win immunity. Fierce Fields, that just means you'll have to work extra hard next time. You may all head back to your camps now."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Linus-**I let my team down. Not just that, I let down my friends who were counting on me to keep them safe. Well, the war is far from other, I'll just have to double my efforts next challenge.

**Mel-**Ugh, why are we still keeping that little twerp around? Just why?

**Randall-***sighs* Sadly I'm not even surprised.

**Renada-**Ha, we won even without Aloysius. Shows what he knows!

**Drew-**Hm, I'm uh…starting to think that, uh…Linus isn't as, uh, good of a hero as he, uh…you know, thinks. He used a lot of, uh…unnecessary violence today. If I had to, uh…give him one of those, uh, titles…it would probably me Super Anti Hero.

* * *

(Fierce Fields)

"Well, we blew it!" Mel snapped as everyone returned to camp. "We really could have used that advantage given our record. But no, we just had to fail yet again!"

"Mel, keep calm," Marion said. "It was just a reward."

"Oh shut up, I don't care about what you think," Mel said. "The fact is, we lost, and this is becoming a recurring thing for us."

"Why do we even need an advantage?" Brienne scoffed. "You've got me."

"Hm, really? Well maybe that argument would have a small smidge of validity if we hadn't lost four out of six challenges!" Mel spat.

Meanwhile, Linus, Teddy, and Portia were gathering in their separate shelter.

"I'm so, so, sorry we couldn't win that," Teddy sighed. "I know how much we needed it."

"It's alright," Portia said. "It wasn't any of our faults. This just means that we'll have to try even harder next time. Because if we don't win immunity, I think it's guaranteed that one of us will be going home next."

"Trust me, we'll do it," Linus said. "Things may look bad, but that's the perfect time for a hero to step forward and smite the villains."

Back over in the larger shelter, Randall sat down next to Brienne.

"I'd just like to apologize for my performance in today's challenge," he said. "I know that I should just step back and let other people handle things, but then I'm not really doing any better am I? It's lose-lose."

"Okay, I just have one question for you," Brienne said. "Who are you? And then I've got just one follow-up question for you: Why do you think I care?"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**Winning immunity would be most favorable, but it's not like I'm not too worried about elimination. Last time I made my throne, and I'm not going to be leaving now.

**Randall-**With every challenge we lose, the more likely it is that people are going to target me. My only chance is to cling to Marion and hope that he stays true to me.

**Brienne-**Everyone's all freaked out at camp today, except me. They all have reasons to worry, but I'm the one person in this game who is just so good that I never have to scramble.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

"Okay, you have some explaining to do!" Renada snapped at Aloysius. "And don't play dumb. It's clear that you were trying to throw the challenge."

"And yet we won," Aloysius replied. "Clearly there are some holes in your logic."

"Oh, don't give me that," Renada shouted. "You know exactly what happened. You tried to make us lose the first round, and if it wasn't thanks to the rest of us actually pulling our weight, then we wouldn't have made it. This just shows how much we don't need you."

"No, the fact that you're making such a big deal about this proves exactly how much you do rely on me," Aloysius said.

"Grrr," Renada growled as she grabbed the nearest person to her. "Betty, back me up."

"I, uh…what?" Betty said.

"Oh, don't listen to her, Betty," Aloysius said. "You must be intelligent enough to respect my value to this team."

"Oh…uh, yeah…I, uh," Betty stuttered.

"Um, hello! Did you forget that he was trying to throw the challenge!?" Renada snapped as she shook Betty.

"Oh, uh right…yeah…I'm uh…I'm just…" Betty said as she stepped backwards. "I'm gonna have to get back to you on that."

Meanwhile, Ferris was resting underneath a tree.

"Hi, there!" Yu exclaimed as she skipped over to her.

"Oh, hello, Yu," Ferris said. "Where are your friends?"

"Well, Aloysius seems to be a little bit occupied right now," Yu said. "And…just between you and me, I'd much rather spend time with you."

"Oh, that's…flattering," Ferris said.

"You're my friend too," Yu said. "I'm not going to just leave you behind for someone else."

"I wasn't thinking anything like that," Ferris said.

"Of course not," Yu said as she hugged Ferris.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Betty-**Oh no, this is bad. Renada and Aloysius are already drawing lines and they expect me to pick a side. Oh, what do I do, what do I do? If I pick the wrong one then I go down with them…but if I don't make a decision fast, people will see me as wishy-washy and vote me out before the merge…eek, I'm going to need to make a list of pros and cons here.

**Ferris-**I'm glad that Yu's making friends with everyone, but honestly, I'm actually glad that she still wants to be with me too. I don't have a lot of friends, so having someone like her to just talk to has actually be quite nice.

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Pedro cautiously wandered through the opening of the temple. In one hand were a notebook and a pencil, in the other hand was a long stick. Experimentally he poked his stick outwards.

"Let's see," he said. "We've got a trap there, and there."

With each trap he made a note on his paper.

"And what about out there?" he said as he stretched his stick out and poked another part of the ground.

Suddenly a cage sprung down over his stick, snapping it in half.

"Oh, definitely going to want to watch out for that," Pedro remarked as he scribbled down another note. "Well, I think I've made enough progress for today."

With that he returned to his shelter and prepared for another cold night.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**If I've got my timing right, someone else should be joining me tomorrow evening. In the meantime, I want to map out as much as I can of that temple. Hopefully Karly is alright, but if I could handle a night in there, I'm sure she can too.

* * *

Sandy slumped through the forest hopelessly. She had long lost the monkey and was now desperately searching for it.

"Ugh, where are you!?" she shouted as she kicked a tree angrily. "I need that!"

She continued to wander through the darkness aimlessly. Eventually she just collapsed underneath a tree in exhaustion.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**It's not fair! I had that thing, and some stupid monkey had to take it from me. What good would it be to a monkey!?

* * *

(Conclusion)

Chris stood in the Gazebo of Shame.

"And that does it for another episode of Total Drama Strandarama," he said. "Despite Aloysius trying to throw the challenge, and the underdogs of the Fierce Fields being more determined than ever, the Tough Trees have won another challenge and earned a reward for the next immunity challenge. Will it increase their lead, or will the Fields pull an upset? And who is at risk next? Will Marion succeed and picking off his remaining opposition? Will Aloysius or Renada take out the other? Will Betty ever go through with any of her ridiculous schemes? Find out on the next episode of Total…Drama…Strandarma!"

**Teams:**

Ferocious Fields:

_Karly-The Natural Leader_

Marion-The Sadistic Strategist

Brienne-The Narcissus

_Sandy-The "Nice" Girl_

Portia-The Aristocrat

Linus-The Warrior of JUSTICE

Teddy-The Parakeet

Randall-The Epic Fail

Austin-The Paranormal Fan

Mel-The Loudmouthed Complainer

Tough Trees:

_Pedro-The Businessman_

Rocky-The Animal Whisperer

Drew-The Daydreamer

Florence-The Chill Guy

Betty-The Over-Thinker

Washington-The Nobody

Ferris-The Loner

Aloysius-The Badass in a Suit

Renada-The Dumb Muscle

Yu-The Ray of Sunshine

**Not Quite Loser Island: **Sandy, Pedro, Karly


	8. Number Crunchers

_Author's Note: Hey everyone, Strandarama is finally back. After finishing Uber, I'm ready to start spreading myself onto my other series now. I'd like to keep this running consistently, since I feel if I leave it too long it'll just disappear. Hopefully I can get back into a regular updating system._

"Welcome back to Total Drama Strandarama!" Chris exclaimed from the Gazebo of Shame. "Last time on this exciting show, there was a clear divide on the Ferocious Fields. Marion held power with his alliance of Brienne, Randall, and Austin; this put Portia, Teddy, and Linus together into an alliance of their own. Mel refused to accept Marion's offer to join his alliance though and continues to fly solo. Over on the Tough Trees, Aloysius was getting fed up with his team and decided that he'd start throwing challenges. This didn't exactly work out though, as at the challenge, the Tough Trees just continued to increase their lead. They won for themselves an advantage to use in the next challenge. So, will it pay off? Will the Tough Trees win yet another challenge and send someone home from the Fields? Or will the Fields pull a comeback and even out the playing field again? Find out right now on Total Drama Strandarama!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**Ugh, I had a rough night last night. I was trapped in the pits of the temple, and I only had small bits of vegetation and mushrooms to eat. But I'm going to try to make the most out of today. I'm going to do a little exploring, and see if I can find what I came for.

* * *

Karly carefully made her way through the dark chamber. Her eyes had adjusted somewhat, and she was able to find her way to the edge. The wall was rough and rocky.

"Hm, well, I might have to do a little climbing to get out of here," she said to herself.

She grabbed onto the wall and started to pull herself up. Soon enough she was back on another hallway. The ground seemed to be a combination of manmade stone, and natural rocks. The floor would switch between smooth and bumpy sporadically. Keeping her hand on the side of the wall, Karly made her way along the path. Eventually she started to notice a bit of a glow coming from the distance. She walked a little further and found that there were some blue jewels that glowed in the dark.

"Now that's curious," Karly remarked.

She continued to follow them, and as she did more started to appear. Soon there was enough to light the entire area. Karly continued to follow them and found herself in a crystal chamber. In the center was a large jewel with a family face inside of it.

"I found it, I found my ticket back!" Karly exclaimed.

However, she soon realized the obvious dilemma of how to get to the idol. She walked around the jewel but didn't find any opening to it. She did spot a small hole in a diamond shape at the base of the jewel, though.

"Hm…" she mused to herself.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**Well, I found an idol, but the problem is, it's completely encased. My only clue is what looks like a keyhole. I guess I'll have to start searching for some sort of key.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sandy was wandering the jungle. The girl looked completely dishevelled by now. Her hair was in a mess, and full of leaves and branches. Her face and clothes were covered with dirt and she walked slowly.

"Come on…you stupid…monkey…where are you?" she groaned.

She heard the sound of something scampering along the trees and quickly chased after it.

"I got you now…no escape this time!" she exclaimed eagerly.

As she followed the sound, she found herself arriving at a new group of ruins. There was no monument like the temple, but there were old pieces of walls and pillars. In the center of all this several monkeys had gathered around a throne where a fat monkey sat with the necklace around its neck.

"Okay…this just got weird," Sandy remarked.

The fat monkey growled at Sandy, and suddenly the horde of monkeys started to howl and charge at her.

"And now it's gone from weird to bad," Sandy said.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields Camp)

"Alright, people, we need to have a group meeting," Portia exclaimed as she grabbed Teddy and Linus and pulled them together. "Now, I don't think I need to tell you that we're in the minority. But we can't give up just yet."

"Yeah, we gotta fight, fight, fight, and never ever, ever, ever give up and…" Teddy exclaimed, "And uh…what else?"

"There must be a weakness," Linus exclaimed. "Every evil organization has one, and Marion's alliance is no different."

"Here's what I was thinking," Portia said, "we only need one person to flip to our side, and then we'll have a tie vote. Two and we'll have the majority. But let's start with one, if we can just find one person willing to flip, then suddenly this game will be more in our favor."

"Hm, the seduction of evil is quite strong," Linus said, "but nonetheless I believe that we'll be able to find at least one person who's willing to accept the liberation of JUSTICE!"

"We're going to need to divide and conquer," Portia said. "Let's all find someone and try to work on them. I'm sure we'll get lucky with at least one of them."

"Yeah, let's go, A-Team, let's do this, roll out, assemble, power up!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Yeah…that," Portia said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**This game's gotten a lot harder for me these last couple days, but I'm not about to back down now. Coming out here I said I'd fight to the bitter end, and I'm willing to pull all stops.

**Linus-**Clearly corruption is in the air. While some people are just pure evil, perhaps there is still a chance for the others.

* * *

(Tough Trees Camp)

Florence and Drew were sitting by a pond.

"It's been pretty nice these last couple days," Florence remarked. "With all these wins, we've got no worries and we can just relax until the merge."

"Hmm…true," Drew replied. "But we're, uh…probably going to…um, you know…lose eventually…no one is invincible."

"No need to be a downer," Florence said.

"I just want to…uh…be prepared," Drew said. "Like the…uh, squirrel who stored his…uh, nuts for winter…and then invited everyone to a…what's it called…party."

"Uh, right," Florence nodded slowly.

"So, if we do lose…who goes home?" Drew asked.

"Aw, I don't want to think about that," Florence said.

"Then you're, uh…acting like…um, Carson the uh…Squirrel who didn't pack any…uh nuts and wasn't…you know, invited to the party," Drew said. "We need a…plan."

"Hm, well I guess that Aloysius and Renada cause the most drama," Florence remarked. "It would be a lot quieter if we cut one of them."

"A valid point," Drew said. "However…would you fire you…uh, head lieutenant after he um…won several battles for you?"

"I don't know…yes?" Florence replied.

"Then you just lost the war," Drew said. "Aloysius is, uh…too valuable to lose now."

"Hm…so, Renada?" Florence suggested.

"Hey guy!" Rocky exclaimed as she dropped down from a tree. "I was just talking to Mr. Termite, and I couldn't help overhearing your conversation."

"You're welcome to join us," Florence said.

"I just think it's silly to act like we've already lost," Rocky said as she dropped down. "I mean, chances are looking pretty good for us right now, why get all down on something like that?"

"Well—" Drew tried to say.

"Hello everyone!" Betty exclaimed as she forced her way into the group. "What are we talking about? Strategy? Is it strategy? It's strategy, isn't it? Well, I really think you should include me, I have a lot to say about strategy. Just ask Rocky, she'll vouch for me, right, Rocky? Of course, if it's not strategy I can talk about that too. I mean, I don't talk about strategy all day. That would make me some sort of neurotic psycho."

Everyone just glanced around uneasily.

"I'm not a crazy person, I swear!" Betty exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Drew-**I just want to uh…plan for every outcome…squirrels don't win wars just by…uh…staying on the bright side.

**Betty-**I can't have people talking about strategy without including me…they could be talking about blindsiding me for all I know! So, if I just follow them around enough, they'll have no choice but to include me in their alliance!

* * *

(Ferocious Fields Camp)

Randall had somehow gotten himself crushed underneath a mossy log.

"Uh…hello!?" he called. "Anyone want to help me out here?!"

"Oh, let me get that," Portia said as she spotted him.

She grabbed the side of the log, and after a bit of straining managed to lift it up long enough for Randall to escape.

"Thanks," Randall said. "I just wish that was the first time that happened."

"So, uh…I actually wanted to talk to you about something," Portia said.

"Yes?" Randall asked.

"So…you're aligned with Marion and his group right?" Portia asked.

"Well, I suppose there's no point in keeping it a secret, now that he's laid out all the cards like that," Randall replied. "Yes, we are working together."

"But he's kinda…mean," Portia pointed out. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"I'll admit, he wouldn't be my first choice in ally," Randall said. "But he's promised to keep me safe, and I need that."

"But you could work with us if you wanted," Portia offered. "You could help us flip the tables."

"I could…but well, that wouldn't exactly be smart," Randall replied. "I'd be putting myself in the minority…and I think we all know that I'm already bottom of the barrel as it is."

"But at least you could know that you're on the good side," Portia said.

"Oh come now, that's not fair," Randall said. "Who are you to decide what's 'good?'"

"Because I'm trying to play with fairness in mind," Portia said. "Marion is just out for himself."

"Be that as it may, would playing with fairness keep me safe?" Randall asked. "If it weren't for these alliances, wouldn't you vote me out as soon as you could?"

"Well…I can't answer that…" Portia stumbled.

"Sure you can," Randall replied. "If none of this had happened, who would you want gone first? Me, the weak link who is nothing but a deadweight in challenges. Don't you get it, I'm going to be on the bottom no matter where I am, at least this way I've got a shot at making the merge."

"Fine, be that way!" Portia huffed as she marched away. "It's clear that you've made your decision."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Randall-**While I believe that the people I'm aligned with aren't the nicest, I can't afford to switch sides now. I'm hanging on by a thread as it is, I don't need any other reasons for them to turn on me.

**Portia-**I don't think I'm going to have any luck with Randall. Clearly he's too concerned with his own needs to worry about the rest of us right now. I just hope the others are making more progress.

* * *

Mel was sitting against her usual boulder in the field.

"Soooo…let's talk, Mel," Teddy said as he skipped over to her. "We can talk about the weather, our mutual interests, flipping sides, politics…"

"You take one more step and I'll crush your arm in my hands," Mel threatened.

"Understood," Teddy said as he immediately backed up.

Meanwhile, Linus was following Austin.

"Look, I know we may have gotten off to a bad start," Linus said. "But I really feel like there's potential in you. I believe that there's a chance for the righteousness in your heart to be set free if you just allow it."

"Uh-huh, that's interesting," Austin said. "Can you stand over this X while you talk?"

"Okay, but I don't see what that will accomplish," Linus said as he stepped onto the X painted on the ground. "Now, as I was saying, the path of JUSTICE is much more fulfilling and—"

Suddenly a boot attached to a rope swung down from a tree and kicked Linus over.

"Ha, that was great!" Austin exclaimed. "It worked just as planned!"

"Ooooh, I'm going to get you!" Linus shouted. "You're going to pay for that!"

From the shelter, Marion just watched all of this unfold and chuckled.

"Ah, don't you love chaos?" he remarked to Brienne who was lying next to him.

"Yeah, sure, probably," Brienne replied. "It's like the new brand of perfume, right?"

"It…yeah, something like that," Marion replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Austin-**Ha, who needs monsters, when I've got Linus to pick on? He's the perfect guinea pig.

**Marion-**Things could not be going better. The three on the outs are completely desperate and scrambling. That means that I have them exactly in my hands, and I'll be able to toss them aside one at a time.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Renada was working hard collecting fire wood, food, and other necessities for the camp. While she was doing all this, Aloysius simply sat underneath a tree.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to help out," Renada grunted at him.

"Why, my dear, you're confusing me," Aloysius replied with feigned innocence. "If I do work, you complain that you can handle it yourself. If I don't do work, you complain that I'm not helping enough. I believe that you are the very definition of a hypocrite."

"I don't even know what that word means," Renada spat back.

"Didn't think you would," Aloysius replied nonchalantly. "It just further emphasizes the very clear class gap between the two of us."

"Alright, I don't have to take this attitude from you!" Renada snapped.

"No, you don't," Aloysius said. "You can get back to work like you were doing and just leave me alone."

"Or I could vote you out!" Renada retorted.

"Really? Have we lost a challenge already?" Aloyius asked. "No, so shut your mouth and get back to work."

"Grrrr…I hate you so much," Renada grumbled.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**I'm still planning to throw a challenge soon enough. Renada is so confident that she'll get me out, but the rest of the team is marginally smarter than her and are sure to realize just how much more valuable I am, and keep me over her.

**Renada-**Aloysius is just trying to push my buttons, I know it! Well, the jokes on him, because the second we lose, he's history!

* * *

Ferris and Yu were sitting in the forest nearby where Aloysius and Renada were arguing.

"Oh dear," Yu sighed. "It doesn't sound like they're getting along. Perhaps someone should go over there and help them out."

"I don't think it's worth it," Ferris said. "You'd just leave with a headache."

"Oh, I bet I could do something…but maybe you're right, maybe I should just let them work out their own differences," Yu said.

"This is why I don't like dealing with people," Ferris said. "They just drag you into their drama and you just find yourself in a big mess."

"That's not always true," Yu said. "There are some good people out there who just want to be your friend."

"Yeah, but it's not for me," Ferris said. "I'm more than willing to just let these people keep their hassles to themselves. And when it comes time to vote, I'll just take the side that makes most sense to me."

"Fair enough," Yu said. "But you know, only one person will be leaving with the prize, but anyone could leave with new friends."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**It doesn't take long for sparks to start flying on shows like this. But I'm not going to let myself get dragged into that. I'm just going to steer clear and let everything play out on its own.

* * *

(Later)

The two teams met at a field where Chris was waiting for them.

"Welcome, Ferocious Fields and Tough Trees," Chris greeted. "It's time for another challenge. The stakes are high for this one, as the losing team will head to the Gazebo of Shame and have to vote out another member. Right now the Trees have a one person numbers advantage, so this could either even things out, or really set the teams apart."

Reactions were mixed. Portia looked worried, Aloysius looked bored, Renada looked determined.

"What's the challenge?" Marion asked.

"This challenge is all about numbers," Chris said. "If you'll look behind you, you'll see two shelves with 8 slots each. Scattered through the area are various different cubes, marked with numbers from 0 to 10. You'll be searching for these and bringing them back to your team's shelf, the team with the highest sum of the total numbers wins immunity. But there's a twist each person can only deposit one cube, so once you drop one off, it's up to the rest, and you can't remove your cube once it's in. So the trick is deciding when you want to head back. There's no telling how many of each number there are, so do you go the no risk route and take back something minimal, or take a risk and hope to find a bigger number before someone else? It's up to you."

Everyone nodded.

"Oh, that sounds tricky," Betty remarked nervously.

"It'll be fine," Yu assured her.

"Oh and one more thing," Chris said. "Tough Trees, to keep things somewhat fair, one of you will have to sit this challenge out."

"Very well then," Aloysius said as he stepped back.

"Wait…you?" Rocky asked.

"Why not?" Aloysius shrugged.

"Bah, we don't need him," Renada scoffed. "We can win this without him."

"Alright, Aloysius will be sitting out," Chris said.

"Wait a minute, what about our advantage?" Florence asked.

"Ah, that's right," Chris said. "Due to winning the last reward challenge, the Tough Trees will be granted an extra five points to their total. Now, with that settled, you may begin!"

Everyone took off running into the woods. Everyone except Brienne, that is.

"Um…begin," Chris repeated. "Go!"

"One sec," Brienne replied as she stretched without a care.

"The challenge has begun," Chris said.

"Oh look, here's one," Brienne said as she picked up a block from under the nearest shelf.

She held it up and revealed a zero.

"Um, Brienne, that's a dud," Chris pointed out.

"Eh, works for me," Brienne said as she put it in place. "As long as it gets me out of this challenge."

"Okay then," Chris said. "The Ferocious Fields start off…with zero points."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**Once again, I'm trying to get my team to see my true value. By stepping out, they'll come to realize how much they really need me…although, I'm starting to think that our streak of wins might also have something to do with how incompetent the other team is.

**Betty-**This challenge has me so confused already…if I find a cube, what should I do with it!? So much to consider in so little time!

**Portia-**This could really be do or die for me right now. Things aren't looking good at all. I really don't want to go home, so I'm going to give one last fight and hope that it's enough to earn me another day out here.

**Brienne-**Why should I have to do extra work for the rest of my team? What are they gonna do, vote me out? Ha, I don't think so.

* * *

Everyone was dashing through the forest rapidly by now. They spread out and broke into groups.

"Okay guys, we need to split up and all try to do the best we can," Portia told Teddy and Linus.

Teddy was hardly paying attention though, as he was too busy searching frantically.

"Not here," he exclaimed as he leapt out of a tree.

"Not here," he continued as he dug through some bushes.

"Not here," he repeated as he lifted up a rock.

"Let's…leave him be," Portia remarked to Linus. "I'm going to check out the mountain."

"Affirmative," Linus replied. "I'll go look a little deeper in this direction."

Meanwhile, nearby, Betty was almost as frantic as Teddy, if not more.

"Come on, come on, gotta find a cube, Betty," she told herself. "Can't let the team down…oh, but where are they!? Why can't I find any?!"

She tossed over rocks and trampled over bushes as she searched desperately. Up in a tree, Teddy had finally found a cube. He reached into a hole in the top of the tree and revealed the box with a number 2 on it.

"Aw man, lame," he sighed as he tossed it behind him.

The box smacked right onto Betty's head.

"Oof!" she exclaimed as she collapsed to the ground.

Once she got up and rubbed her head, she glanced at the cube in her hands.

"Oooh, I got one…I got one!" she exclaimed to herself. "Now the question is…do I return with it…or look for something better?"

Betty paused as she went into a state of deep thought.

"Hm, if I return, then…it's only two points," she said to herself. "But what if it's the only one I find…two is better than none…and we already have the advantage…but what if I'm the smallest one on the team and we lose….I'd be blamed and booted in a heartbeat!"

Betty continued to worry to herself as she paced.

"Having trouble, Betty?" Chris asked.

"Ahhh!" Betty exclaimed as she jumped back and tossed her cube into the air. "I walked all the way back here?"

"Apparently," Chris said. "And it looks like you brought your team's first cube with you."

Chris placed the number cube onto the Tough Trees' shelf.

"This puts the Tough Trees into the lead with seven points," Chris said. "Opposed to the Ferocious Fields who only have gathered…zero."

"I earned that zero," Brienne remarked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Betty-**Okay…well, it's a relief to have that dilemma solved…unless of course we lose…then it won't be a relief at all!

* * *

Marion and Ferris were both searching in the same area. They were in a swampy area. As they trudged through the mud it splattered up along their legs. Marion began to dig through some shrubs, while Ferris continued to march forward, always keeping an eye open for anything. Eventually she spotted something. She went over to investigate and found the corner of a cube sticking out of the mud. She pulled it out to reveal a cube with a nine on it.

"Score," she remarked.

Suddenly she was shoved into the mud.

"I'll take that," Marion said as he knocked Ferris to the ground.

He picked up the cube and made a dash back the way he had come.

"Hey, I saw that!" someone yelled.

Marion turned to see Yu charging for him.

"That wasn't very nice!" Yu growled at him.

"You don't scare me," Marion scoffed.

"Grr," Yu said as she clamped onto Marion's leg.

"Ah! Get off!" Marion snapped as he tried to shake her off.

Yu wasn't letting go, though. Eventually she managed to bring Marion to the ground.

"And now I'll take that," Ferris said, dripping with mud, as she took the cube from Marion.

"No fair, you're ganging up on me!" Marion pouted.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Yu-**I hope I wasn't too rough with Marion. I can't have people picking on my friends, though.

**Ferris-**For all the complaints I have about my team, I sure am grateful I'm not stuck with that jerk.

**Marion-**Totally lame. I had that cube, you can't just take it from me like that!

* * *

(Ferocious Fields: 0 Tough Trees: 16)

"I've scouted this area before," Austin remarked as he swung off a tree branched and scanned the vicinity. "It should be easy to spot some hidden cube."

He continued to swing from tree to tree, searching for anything out of place.

"Aha!" he exclaimed. "Found you!"

He dropped down to the ground. He lifted up a rock and revealed a cube with a seven on it.

"Hm…now I could bring this back…" he mused to himself. "Or I could use it as bait for my awesome new trap! Yeah, I'll do that!"

Austin placed the cube in the middle of the ground, then quickly ran around tying vines around in various areas.

"Perfect!" he exclaimed. "Now to play the waiting game."

He hopped into a bush and watched eagerly. It didn't take long for Florence to walk by and spot the cube.

"Alright, a freebie!" he remarked.

He walked over to the cube, when suddenly he heard the sound of various vines snapping from point to point.

"Huh?" he gasped.

With a swift motion, his leg was snagged, and he was dragged up high. He hung upside down from the treetops.

"Thanks, pal," Austin said as he grabbed the cube. "Have fun getting down."

Austin then rushed back through the woods with his cube outstretched.

"Ta-da!" he exclaimed to Chris before slapping it down on the Ferocious Fields shelf.

"Good job," Chris said. "You've brought the Ferocious Fields up to seven points, but the Tough Trees still hold a strong lead with 16….oh hang on…"

Washington returned slowly and placed a five cube on the Tough Trees shelf.

"Where'd you find that?" Chris asked.

"I dunno," Washington shrugged. "Somewhere."

"Works for me," Chris said. "So, this puts the Tough Trees at 21, and leaves Ferocious Fields in the dust with 7."

"Our team needs to really pick it up," Austin groaned.

"I know right," Brienne agreed. "What a bunch of slackers."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Austin-**Well, at least I managed to keep on of those Tree losers busy. But the other guys are going to need to seriously do better than this if we want a shot at immunity.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields: 7 Tough Trees: 21)

Randall was crawling through brambles as he searched for a cube.

"Okay, Randall, this is it," he told himself. "Time to prove to your team that you're not a complete waste of space."

Suddenly he dug his hand into a sharp pebble.

"Ow!" he exclaimed as he winced.

His sudden movement caused him to get entangled in brambles hanging above him.

"Owowowow!" he moaned as he tried to free himself.

Eventually he was able to work himself out of the thicket and back into the clearing of the forest. Once he was done shaking himself out, he spotted a cube poking out of a log. He picked it up to reveal an 8.

"Oh my gosh, I did it!" he exclaimed. "This is it, the triumph of Randall!"

However, as Randall ran with his newfound cube, he tripped over a root and tossed it into the air.

"Ah!" he cried. "No no no no!"

The cube bounced against a tree, ricocheted off a branch, and landed squarely in Drew's hands.

"Oh…um…thank you, wind spirits," Drew said.

"No no no, wait!" Randall exclaimed as he tried to grab the cube from Drew.

Drew just casually shoved him aside though and wandered back to the starting line.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Randall-**It's not fair. Everything was looking up for me for once, why do things always have to go wrong!?

* * *

(Ferocious Fields: 7 Tough Trees: 29)

Renada was flipping over rocks by the base of the mountain.

"Come on, there's got to be something good hidden down here," she grumbled as she searched.

Eventually, after enough searching she found a cube.

"Here we go," she said.

However she lifted it up to find that it was only marked with 1.

"Bah, rubbish," she scoffed as she tossed it away.

She heard talking nearby and glanced over to the source. She saw Portia and Mel walking up to the mountain.

"…I'm just saying that it's likely that there's a big cube up on the mountain," Portia said.

"Fine, but leave it to me," Mel said. "You'd never be able to make the climb, you'd be tired out before we even started."

"I'll have you know that I can take care of myself just fine," Portia said as she started to climb the side of the mountain.

"Just don't slow me down," Mel grunted as she started to climb as well.

"You're not getting ahead of me," Renada remarked to herself as she started to climb on her own side.

Suddenly the ground started to shake. Mel stepped aside as Rocky burst out of the ground.

"Hey!" she exclaimed.

"What were you doing?" Renada asked.

"I was just visiting Ms. Mole," she replied. "And look what she found for me!"

Rocky held out a cube with a six on it proudly.

"Good, take it back," Renada said. "I've got bigger fish to fry now."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Renada-**I'm not letting the Fields get any sort of lead on this challenge. We're on a roll here, and I intend to keep it that way.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields: 7 Tough Trees: 32)

Marion continued to pace through the swamp with Yu following his every step.

"I'm not letting my eye off of you," Yu said. "I can't have you being mean to people."

"Ugh, get lost already," Marion groaned.

"I think there's good in you, you just need a friend to bring it out," Yu replied. "And when I'm finished, you'll be a completely changed man."

"I doubt it," Marion replied.

Just then, both of them spotted a cube partially hidden under some leaves. Both glanced at each other before diving it at.

"Got it!" Teddy exclaimed as he swung by on a vine.

"Got you!" Florence exclaimed as he caught Teddy. "And I'll just take—"

"Relent, villain!" Linus exclaimed as he tackled Florence into the mud.

The cube flew out of his hands and right back to Marion. He cleaned off the mud to reveal a 3.

"Ew," he remarked. "You can have it."

He handed it to Yu.

"Aw, doesn't it feel good to share?" Yu said brightly.

"Okay, just for that, I'm keeping it now," Marion said as he took the cube back.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**Whatever, three's probably the best I'm going to get by now. I'm sure the rest of my team has already gotten plenty.

**Yu-**I'm sure that Marion will show his true colours soon enough, he just needs a little nudge in the right direction.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields: 10 Tough Trees: 32)

Mel and Portia were both climbing up the side of the mountain with determination. Mel had pulled ahead, but Portia was followed right behind her.

"Are you sure we're going to find something up here?" Mel said. "I don't want to do something dangerous for no reason."

"I'm not certain," Portia replied. "I just think it's likely."

"Oh that's reassuring," Mel grunted sarcastically. "I'm risking my life on a hunch."

However, the two eventually reached a ledge.

"I think there's something here," Mel said as she cleared aside some rocks.

Mel had gotten herself fully onto the wide ledge by now and was pushing ahead the rocks.

"Got it!" she exclaimed as she held up a cube with a ten on it. "This is sure to give us the edge."

"Don't be so sure about that," someone said.

Suddenly, Renada appeared on the other side. She charged into Mel and knocked her over. She just barely grabbed onto a hold before falling over the edge.

"The only getting ahead is me," Renada said as she walked towards the cube.

"Now, I can't let you do that," Portia said as she climbed up and stood between Renada and the cube.

"Step aside," Renada said. "Or this is going to get ugly."

"I'm afraid not," Portia replied. "I need this, and I'm going to fight for it."

"Fine, have it your way," Renada growled.

Renada growled and charged at Portia.

"Uh-oh…maybe I didn't think this through," Portia murmured to herself. "Um…hiya!"

Portia delivered a girly slap. However, at this point, Mel reached up and grabbed Renada by the ankle. This caused her to slip and fall over the edge. Like Mel, she was also left hanging on the ledge.

"Yay, go me!" Portia cheered.

With that she picked up the cube and began to work herself down.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**We really needed this. I think it's going to be really close, but if we can make a comeback here, it might just be enough to save us.

**Mel-**Leave it to Portia to nearly get herself killed. She's just lucky that I was there, or else she'd be leaving in a bodybag.

**Renada-**Ugh, I don't like this. If they can catch up, then our momentum could be ruined.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields: 20 Tough Trees: 32)

Teddy, Yu, Florence, and Linus were all walking together. The two teams were both busy eying each other.

"I'm not letting you guys get ahead of me," Linus said. "Try anything and you'll be in for it."

"Why are you looking at me?" Florence said. "If I recall, you tackled _me_."

"True, that wasn't very nice at all," Yu pointed out.

"Oh sure, it's not nice because it's against your team," Linus said. "But if Florence wants to grab my friend and steal his cube, then that's perfectly fine."

"CAVE!" Teddy exclaimed. "Lookie, lookie, it's cave! Do you think there's something in there, I bet there is, I really do!"

"Worth checking out," Florence said.

Teddy ran ahead, and the other three ran after him. They entered the cave and soon became completely engulfed in darkness. It wasn't long before they stumbled over the uneven ground.

"Oof!" Linus exclaimed as he tripped to the ground.

"Oh my!" Yu said as she slammed into Florence.

"I got it!" Teddy exclaimed. "I got it, got it, got it!"

However, as Teddy ran back with something in his hands, he was tripped by Florence.

"Ah!" he exclaimed as he fell to the ground and dropped the cube.

"Where'd it go?" Yu said as she searched the ground.

"Gimme, gimme!" Linus said as he tried to knock her aside and grab it from her.

"Take this!" Florence exclaimed as he swung blindly.

"Ow, that was me!" Yu exclaimed.

"Oops," Florence said.

"Hey, there's another one in here!" Teddy said. "I got it!"

"Quick, get him!" Yu exclaimed. "But gently now."

Teddy ran up the wall as Florence tried to grab him. Linus meanwhile had grabbed the other cube on the ground and began to run to the exit. Teddy, trying to escape from Florence, ended up crashing into Yu.

"Aha, I hope you don't mind, but I'll be taking this," Yu said as she picked up the cube and ran outside.

Once they were in the clear, both Linus and Yu could look at the value on their cubes. Linus had achieved a nine, while Yu had gotten a four.

"Success!" Linus exclaimed. "JUSTICE shall prevail after all!"

"Oh well, every point counts," Yu simply remarked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Yu-**People are sure getting aggressive out here, even I'm going a little cuckoo. But it's all a game, so it's all in good fun.

**Linus-**It's time for the underdogs to rise!

* * *

(Ferocious Fields: 29 Tough Trees: 36)

Mel and Renada had climbed to the bottom of the mountain by now and were still glaring at each other.

"Well, thanks for trying to kill me," Mel said.

"The feeling is mutual," Renada replied.

"Oh come on, that was completely self-defence," Mel scoffed. "Totally different circumstance."

"So, where are you going now?" Renada asked.

"Like I'd tell you," Mel scoffed.

The two paused for a minute waiting for the other to make a move.

"But…out of curiosity, where are _you_ going?" Mel asked.

"Wherever you're going," Renada said. "But I'll just get there first."

"Oh really?" Mel replied. "Well, we'll see about that!"

Mel took off running, Renada took off right after her. Mel decided to head for the lake. Renada was hot on her tail, though, and was gaining on her. As soon as Mel reached the lake, she dived into the water. Renada cannonballed right after her. However, Mel soon surfaced and spat out water.

"Why did I even come here?" she groaned. "It's not like I'm gonna find—Oh my god!"

Renada had unearthed a cube wedged between underwater rocks.

"Oh no you don't!" Mel hissed as she dived into the water.

Mel grabbed the cube and the two began to struggle with it underwater. Renada managed to break free and pulled away from Mel. Both girls surfaced.

"You're not getting away that easy," Mel said.

"Watch me," Renada replied.

Mel swam after Renada and grabbed onto her hair.

"Ah!" Renada exclaimed as Mel pulled her underwater.

Once they were both underwater again, Mel kicked Renada in the chest. She grabbed the cube and swam for the shore.

"And that time it wasn't for self-defence," Mel said. "So I guess we're even."

Mel flipped the cube over to see that it was marked with a five.

"It'll do," she said to herself.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Renada-**Oh, she's in for it now. Forget the challenge, the next time I see that girl, it's on!

* * *

(Ferocious Fields: 34 Tough Trees: 36)

Teddy, Florence, and Renada were all searching the forest for anything now.

"Nope…nope…nope!" Teddy said as he tossed aside rocks, logs, and bushes.

"Come on, there's got to be something left," Renada said as she punched a tree.

A cube fell out of the leaves and into her hands.

"Oh, look at that," Florence remarked.

Renada twirled it over and revealed a 1.

"Ugh, you take it," she said to Florence as she tossed it to him.

"We should probably just take what we get," Florence said.

"You can take what you get," Renada said. "I've still got some dignity left."

Florence shrugged and ran back with the cube.

"Found one!" Teddy exclaimed as he hopped into a ditch. "Yay, I finally got one, just for me, no one else."

"Not on my watch," Renada said as she assumed a fighter stance. "You'll have to get past me first."

"Okay, sounds like fun!" Teddy exclaimed as he quickly dashed past Renada.

"Wait, get back here!" Renada growled as she chased after Teddy.

Randall meanwhile was reaching into a hole.

"Come on, don't fail me now," he sighed.

He pulled out a cube and revealed…negative one.

"Oh, now that's just cruel," Randall moaned. "Can't I catch a break here?"

However, the negative sign, was only a smudge of dirt, and Randall was able to clean it off to reveal a 1.

"I guess it's all I'll be getting," he sighed as he headed back.

Renada and Teddy were both racing back to the start now. Renada was just about to grab Teddy…when suddenly she tripped.

"Ugh!" she cried. "No! NO! Stupid rock!"

She kicked the rock she had tripped over, only to reveal that it was actually a block buried in the dirt. She grabbed it and ran back to after Teddy. By now, Florence and Randall had both already arrived.

"Alright, we're down to our last two numbers," Chris said. "From Renada and Teddy. Right now the scores stands at 35 for the Ferocious Fields, and 37 for the Tough Trees. These last two points will decide it all. So, let's see what you got."

Both Teddy and Renada revealed their cubes. Teddy held a 3 and Renada held a 2.

"And with that…" Chris exclaimed, "…Tough Trees win yet another challenge!"

The Tough Trees cheered in victory. All except for Aloysius who just gave a short nod. Ferocious Fields were less jubilant. Mel tossed a rock angrily. Portia sighed to herself, and Linus held her hand comfortingly. Randall sat down on the ground in defeat.

"Well, Ferocious Fields, looks like you won't be settling the score today," Chris said. "Let's head back to camp now. I'll be seeing you guys at the Gazebo of Shame where you will be voting out another team member."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**While I am glad to be safe, this is not going the way I had planned at all. If people start to think of me as expendable…well, we'd just better not lose.

**Mel-**This is so freaking insane! Clearly there's something wrong with this team, but they're all too stupid to try to figure out a solution!

**Portia-**Well…things really aren't looking up…but I'm not out yet. I still I have a chance to turn things around. It's not much, but I'm not done fighting just yet.

**Marion-**This is a shame…for the people not in my alliance. For me, well, I just get to send someone else packing. Fun times.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields Camp)

Marion had gathered Brienne, Randall, and Austin all in the shelter together.

"Okay, I think it's pretty obvious what our next move needs to be," Marion said. "Portia needs to go."

"Aw, can't it be Linus?" Austin asked. "He sucks."

"Valid point, but Linus isn't the threat right now," Marion said. "He's too busy with his delusions to pull anything off. Portia however…well, she's still got a bit of fight to her. I want to break that, and maybe sending her on her way will do just that."

"Yeah, sure, whatever, works for me," Brienne remarked.

"You go with that?" Marion asked Randall.

Randall just nodded.

"Great, I'll just fill in Mel," Marion said.

Marion walked over to Mel who, as usual, was sitting on her own.

"Mel!" he exclaimed.

"Mary-Anne," Mel grunted.

"Look, I just wanted to make sure you're clear on tonight," Marion said. "We're voting for Portia."

"Ha, no we're not," Mel replied.

"Um, actually we are," Marion insisted. "And if you want to stick with the majority—"

"Why are you keeping Randall!?" Mel snapped. "Did you see him in today's challenge? Have you seen him in any challenges!? He's terrible, he's bringing us down. We have lost nearly every challenge so far, and you don't think that maybe, just maybe, he might have something to do with that!"

"He's a part of the alliance," Marion replied.

"You're so dense," Mel groaned. "There's not going to be an alliance if keep this up! Is that what you want? Do you want to lose every single challenge from now until the merge, thus giving the other team an extreme majority and the power to pick those of us remaining off one by one? Because if that's what you want, then you're doing a hell of a job!"

"You know, Mel, I would be careful with what I said if I were you," Marion said icily. "In case you've forgotten, I hold the power here."

"I'm so scared," Mel said. "Seriously, if you're dumb enough to keep Randall this long, then maybe you're actually dumb enough to vote me, the hardest worker out her, out. Brilliant strategy right there."

From a short distance, Portia, Teddy, and Linus could overhear the argument.

"You know guys," Portia said. "I think that maybe, just maybe, we might be able to pull through tonight. We need to play our cards just right though."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Mel-**I am done with this. You hear me? Done! Someone needs to take a stand here, and since I'm the only one with a brain, it looks like it has to be me!

**Portia-**Marion's alliance might not be as solid as it seems. If I can exploit just one crack…well, it's a longshot, but I'm desperate and willing to try anything.

**Marion-**Mel needs to be taught a lesson. She needs me, not the other way around.

* * *

(Gazebo of Shame)

The Ferocious Fields arrived at the gazebo and sat down in front of Chris.

"Ferocious Fields," Chris said, "you guys just aren't able to catch a break. Another loss in your hands, and another of you will be leaving tonight. Austin, what do you have to say on this?"

"It's a domino effect," Austin said. "We lose someone, we become weaker, and we're just going to keep on losing people at this rate."

"So, choosing who to vote is critical," Chris said. "What's the solution then? Portia?"

"There are some people who are really keeping morale down around camp," Portia said. "They act like they run the whole show, yet could really be pulling more weight."

"That's cute, Portia, but coming from you right now, completely meaningless," Marion interrupted. "You see, you have no power. I am in control of the vote right now, so I tell you what to do. And if I decide that you're not being any fun, then I'm going to send you home."

"Chris, can I just say something?" Mel said.

"Oh boy, here we go," Marion groaned.

"I've come to a realization," Mel said, "…that every single person on this tribe is an idiot."

"Really?" Chris said.

"The reason we're losing so much isn't because of 'morale' or because of 'alliances,'" Mel said. "It's because for some reason, these people think it's a good idea to keep Randall. He is a disaster in every single thing he does, and yet he's still here. It's ridiculous."

"Randall, anything to say in your defense?" Chris asked.

"Well, I'm trying to be loyal," Randall said.

"Yeah, loyal to the bad guys!" Linus interjected.

"Will you guys cut it out already!?" Randall snapped. "Stop treating me like I'm some horrible person just because of the people I'm aligned with!"

"But you are the bad guys," Portia insisted. "Last time, when you got out Karly. What was that for? Why did you have to go through all that? For fun? Because it sure doesn't seem very nice to me."

"And I suppose you're so heroic," Marion scoffed. "Well how do you know that I don't feel the same way? Anyone can claim to be a hero."

"Oh my god, will you all just shut the hell up!?" Mel snapped. "Good, evil, who gives a crap!? I don't care about either, all I care is that we start winning challenges. And that is why I will be voting for…that guy!"

She jabbed a finger at Randall.

"You know, Mel, I'm getting quite fed up with you," Marion said. "And you need to realize just where the power lies. So…Portia, why don't we make a little deal?"

"Huh?" Portia asked.

"Or all of you, that is," Marion said as he gestured to Portia, Teddy, and Linus. "I know that you don't care for Mel, you all wanted her gone first. Well, now's your chance. Why don't you vote for her now? And maybe, if I'm feeling generous I'll send a vote her way too. How's it feel now, Mel, to know your life is on the line?"

"I feel like you're only confirming everything I said," Mel said. "Voting me out would be the dumbest move you could possibily make right now because I'm actually trying to win challenges. I'm asking all of you to grow a brain, use it, and see that we can't keep this up if we keep Randall."

"Okay, I think we've had a very exciting night," Chris said. "But now it's time for you to vote."

Mel got up and glared at Randall as she walked to the voting section.

* * *

(Later)

"Okay, I have the votes," Chris said. "You know the drill. If you see a green light, then you're safe. If not, then it's curtains for you. Let's begin…first person safe is…Austin!"

Austin smiled as a green light shone down on him.

"Also safe," Chris continued. "…"

"Brienne!"

"Linus!"

"Marion!"

"Teddy!"

This just left Portia, Mel, and Randall.

"Alright you three, one of you will be going home," Chris said. "But it won't be…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Portia!"

Portia sighed in deep relief.

"Mel, Randall, it's down to you two," Chris said. "The final green light goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Mel!"

"Ha, in your face!" Mel exclaimed.

"I figured this was coming," Randall sighed as he got up. "Can't say I blame you. Well, I guess I'm off now."

"Randall, you have gained the most votes," Chris said. "The rest of you are safe for now. You may head back to your camp."

Everyone got up and started to walk back. Portia was breathing deeply in relief, while Marion looked absolutely shocked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Marion-**I don't…understand…they were supposed to do what I said…why didn't do they do what I said!?

**Mel-**Ha, bout time. It's probably too late to save this team by now, but at least we removed that little piece of cancer finally.

**Portia-**Oh my gosh, I can't believe we actually managed to survive that. I think things might just be looking up for us now.

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Pedro was sitting just outside of the shelter he had built. He was drawing in the sand a diagram.

"Okay, we know there are traps here, here, here, here…and here," he said as he drew X's. "And I think that there are also traps here…here…and also here…Hm, this is quite the predicament, but I believe that there is a way to get past this. I just need to keep on trying."

Suddenly he heard the sound of a fanboat arriving. Chris showed up with Randall.

"Welcome to your new home," Chris said. "Now get out."

Randall sighed as he hopped onto the island.

"So…uh…hi," he said to Pedro.

"Hi," Pedro said. "So, the short of it is, find idols, return to game."

"I…see," Randall said.

"Basically, there's something hidden in that temple," Pedro said. "But it's full of traps. If you can find this treasure, then you can return to the game."

"I doubt I'd be able to find it," Randall sighed. "With my luck I've had so far, I'm not feeling too hopeful."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Pedro said.

"Yeah…heard that before," Randall sighed as he leaned against the shelter.

Suddenly the entire structure collapsed.

"Um…sorry," Randall said meekly.

"Ugh!" Pedro groaned. "Now, I've got to start all over on that. Do you know how long it took to get that up!? I wasted a whole day which I could have used for searching."

"Hey…boys…" someone said weakly.

The two looked up to see Sandy. She looked like she had just returned from a bad fight.

"Whoa…what happened to you?" Pedro asked.

"Monkeys," she hissed.

"Monkeys?" Randall asked quizzically.

"Beware the monkeys!" Sandy exclaimed as she shook him.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**Randall may just have some use to me. He seems like the perfect guy to use as a guinea pig on these traps. He's probably used to it by now.

**Sandy-**I've been kicked around since I got here! I have had it, this is the last straw! I can let the others go around and make fools of themselves! I'm done with all this!

* * *

**Votes:**

**Mel-**This should come as no surprise. Randall!

**Marion-**Mel, if you survive this then maybe you'll learn to respect me. If not then that's one headache off of my back.

**Portia-**Randall, I'm sorry, but you're the weakest member. I tried to offer you a chance, but you're right, I would have voted for you, and I don't see what I should change that now.

**Linus-**Randall, you chose the wrong side. Evil never prospers!

**Brienne-**Yeah, yeah, I vote for Portia. Whatever.

**Austin-**Portia, why don't you go cry to your daddy now and maybe he'll buy you a new mansion or something?

**Teddy-**Sorry Randall, I'm don't like Mel one bit, not at all, she's rude, wretched, and mean, but we need her for challenges and sadly, we don't need you.

**Randall-**Portia, it's nothing personal, just trying to stay in for another day.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And wasn't that a shocking end to another episode?" Chris exclaimed at the Gazebo of Shame. "The Ferocious Fields are in terrible shape, but will this vote make things better or worse? How will the sides fall now? From what it seems, we've got three with Marion, three with Portia, and Mel right smack in the middle. Meanwhile, on the Tough Trees, elimination is starting to become foreign to them. Will they continue this trend, or will their streak be spoiled? Will they return to strategy, or will insanity rule the vote? All this and more coming up, so keep watching…Total…Drama…Strandarama!"

**Teams:**

Ferocious Fields:

_Karly-The Natural Leader_

Marion-The Sadistic Strategist

Brienne-The Narcissus

_Sandy-The "Nice" Girl_

Portia-The Aristocrat

Linus-The Warrior of JUSTICE

Teddy-The Parakeet

_Randall-The Epic Fail_

Austin-The Paranormal Fan

Mel-The Loudmouthed Complainer

Tough Trees:

_Pedro-The Businessman_

Rocky-The Animal Whisperer

Drew-The Daydreamer

Florence-The Chill Guy

Betty-The Over-Thinker

Washington-The Nobody

Ferris-The Loner

Aloysius-The Badass in a Suit

Renada-The Dumb Muscle

Yu-The Ray of Sunshine

**Not Quite Loser Island: **Sandy, Pedro, Karly, Randall

_Author's Note: And that does it for Randall. I've seen it done before (and yes I am guilty of doing it myself) where the failure type of character ends up miraculously going far, and I wanted Randall to be a bit of a mislead for that. But in the end, reality caught up, and his team decided to kick him out. He's still got NQLI, just like everyone out so far does, it's not over just yet._


	9. Battle of the Beach

_Author's Note: Hey everyone. Trying to upload fast, because next week will be painfully busy for me, so I feel like I should get as much done while I still can. So here you go, another chapter of Strandarama!_

"Welcome back to Total Drama Strandarama!" Chris exclaimed from inside the Gazebo of Shame. "Last time, it was another elimination challenge. On the Ferocious Fields, Portia, Linus, and Teddy fought hard, knowing that their lives were at risk. But in the end, the Tough Trees' challenge advantage, as well as the Ferocious Fields' inability to come together, caused them to be sent to elimination for a third time. Marion wanted Portia gone, but Mel made a fuss over getting out Randall. This caused Marion to try and shift the target to Mel…which proved to be a big mistake when Randall got the boot. So how will this change things for the Ferocious Fields? Will losing Randall help them recover, or will their inner feuding keeping them down? And what about the Tough Trees? Sparks are already flying between Aloysius and Renada, and a fire is sure to break out soon enough. So be sure to keep watching…Total…Drama…Strandarama!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**I've been making do in these caves for now. They're not the most comfortable, but there's a bit of a homey touch to them.

* * *

Karly got up and looked around the glowing cave.

"Alright, a key, I need a key," she said to herself.

She started to pace around the chamber. She moved gems and stones out of the way as she searched under them. After some time of futile searching she sat down and sighed to herself.

"Well, I don't think I'm going to find anything here," she remarked. "Might as well keep exploring."

With that she started to climb out of the chamber and deeper into the caverns.

**Confessional:**

**Karly-**My only option is to keep going deeper until I find something. They have to lead somewhere.

Back on the surface, Sandy, Pedro, and Randall were all sitting under their new, poorly built shelter together.

"So, you say you found a necklace," Pedro said. "And it looked important."

"I know it was," Sandy said. "Why else would it be at the bottom of the pond?"

"Hm," Randall said. "But now it belongs to...uh, monkeys, you said?"

"That's right," Sandy hissed. "That thing brought me more trouble than it was worth. I'm done trying to get it back, it's all yours if you can retrieve it."

"I think we ought to give it a shot," Pedro said to Randall. "It could be critical to making progress."

"I agree...but these monkeys sound kind of vicious," Randall said.

"You have no idea," Sandy replied.

"They're just monkeys, they don't scare me," Pedro said. "Come on, let's go check it out."

"You boys go ahead," Sandy said. "I'm not going anywhere near them; I just want to try and get some rest for once."

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**This could very well be the missing link that I need. Sure, I may have to deal with a feel territorial simians, but hey, I've got Mr. Live Bait with me.

**Randall-**I really don't like the sound of this plan.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields Camp)

"This is insane," Marion groaned as he paced around the shelter. "This is completely wrong. This was not supposed to happen!"

"Will you stop your whining already?" Brienne remarked coldly. "You're going to give me a headache."

"Do you not see how bad this is for us!?" Marion insisted. "We went from a power position on top of the world to being even…and that's if this is our best case scenario."

"I still don't see why you need to freak out so much," Brienne replied. "Wasn't this all part of your masterplan? I mean, if you had just voted for Portia she could be gone by now, so clearly you have other intentions."

"No…well, I mean…that was supposed to go down differently," Marion grumbled. "I didn't think they'd actually have the brains or guts to stand up to Mel."

"Well, whatever the case, I still think you're overreacting," Brienne said. "Randall was a pawn, we don't need him. We're still fine."

"We most certainly are not," Marion said. "But we can recover from this. It'll just take a little work."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Brienne-**I'm actually enjoying all this. Marion's done such a good job putting on a show and making himself out to be the kingpin that if we happen to lose again, then it's his ass on the line, not mine. And besides, Randall was his ally, not mine, as far as this alliance goes, I hold all the cards now.

**Marion-**Last night was a complete disaster. I thought those losers would do exactly as I told them and just vote out Mel, but they had to ruin everything and take out my closest ally. But I'm not about to throw the towel in just yet. Now that Mel's gotten what she wanted, we just might be able to rope her back onto our side.

* * *

(Tough Trees)

Aloysius was taking an early morning walk. He strolled slowly through the woods as he thought to himself and watched the sunrise.

"Morning," someone said.

He turned to see Florence walking towards him.

"Ugh, what do you want, commoner?" Aloysius asked. "Can't you see you're polluting my air?"

"Just noticed that you were walking alone," Florence said. "Something on your mind?"

"That's none of your business," Aloysius sniffed.

"Well, if something's bothering you, the best thing to do is to get it off your chest," Florence remarked. "Might make you feel better."

"I doubt it," Aloysius replied. "But if you must know, I'm feeling frustrated. I am by far the most valuable person on this team—this entire cast—and yet, due to the other team's extreme levels of failures, I could be at risk of being seen as obsolete. Really, it's such a waste of skill and talent."

"Well, if you're worried about getting voted out," Florence said, "it wouldn't hurt to try to be a little nicer to everyone."

"Hahaha…no," Aloysius replied.

"Worth a shot," Florence shrugged.

Meanwhile, in another part of the camp, Yu and Ferris were talking together.

"So, Yu," Ferris said, "I was just thinking. I don't think we're going to keep this winning streak up forever, so if we were to go in to the Gazebo of Shame again, who would you vote for?"

"Aw, why would I think about such depressing thoughts like that?" Yu replied. "Everyone here is like family, I don't ever want to think about eliminating any of them."

"But that's all part of the game," Ferris said. "We're going to have to face it sooner or later."

"Well, that's in the future," Yu said. "I just want to enjoy the present."

"Suit yourself," Ferris sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**I've had to rethink my plan. I've been going about it the wrong way. Instead of not participating in challenges to make them realize how much they need me, I should be making sure I'm always the one to bring in the win so that they don't come to think that they could do without me.

**Ferris-**I'm worried about having to face the vote again. We have really strong team, but no team has ever made merge without going to elimination at least once. Not even Team Amazon or The Mutant Maggots. But no one on this team really wants to talk strategy, so we might just be going into the vote blindly.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields Camp)

"Yaaay, we're all still here, we're all still alive!" Teddy exclaimed as he hugged Portia and Linus. "I love you guys! I can't believe that actually worked, we all survived, we did it!"

"I'm very relieved too," Portia said as she squeezed out of Teddy's embrace. "I was terrified that it would be me going last night. However, we're not out of the woods just yet."

"Well, things are looking up now," Linus said. "Clearly Mel has broken free of the cold, harsh grips of corruption in favor of the glorious liberty of JUSTICE!"

"Hm…I'm not too sure about that," Portia said. "I don't think we can necessarily count on Mel to help us out again."

"Yeah, she just hates everyone who's not her," Teddy said. "She does care about any single one of us out on this team, she only cares about her, herself and, uh…her."

"So, we're going to have to still be very careful," Portia said. "I'm really proud of us for pulling something like that off, but it could easily go back to the way it was, so let's not get too cocky."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**The reason I chose to keep Mel over Randall was because Randall was not helping at challenges at all. My hope is that with him gone, we'll be able to actually start winning again and avoid elimination for the time being.

**Teddy-**I gotta try my very bestest to keep my friends safe. They'd do the same for me, yep they would, cause we're friends and friends stick together and look out for each other no matter what.

**Linus-**Mel has a shot at sweet redemption, she shouldn't squander this opportunity. As soon as she feels the warmth of JUSTICE, she will realize how wrong she was before and jump to our side.

* * *

(Tough Trees Camp)

Drew was entertaining himself by trying to balance a pebble on his nose. He had it for few seconds before Rocky leapt in front of him.

"Hi there!" she exclaimed.

"Hello," Drew said as the pebble dropped to the ground.

"So, how you doing today?" Rocky asked. "Ready for another challenge?"

"Ready as…uh, bear before…you know, that thing…hibernation," Drew said. "But, uh…I did want to…um you know…continue our conversation from…uh, yesterday."

"Which one?" Rocky asked.

"About, uh…who we should, um…vote for," Drew said.

"Aw, I told you, I don't see why we need to talk about this," Rocky said.

"Well, uh…what do you're animal friends…say?" Drew asked. "Like, uh…that seagull?"

"Hey Mrs. Seagull!" Rocky waved. "Do you think I should discuss strategy with Drew?"

The seagull squawked.

"She says no," Rocky translated.

"Oh…well, uh…why don't you ask…uh, this earthworm?" Drew said as he handed her a worm.

"Hi there, Mr. Earthworm, how are you today?" Rocky asked. "So, do you think I need to talk strategy right now?"

The worm slithered from side to side.

"He says no," Rocky said.

"Huh…really," Drew said. "Okay…let's get, uh…another…opinion….Like, that turtle."

"Hey, Professor Turtle!" Rocky exclaimed as she skipped over to the reptile. "So, even though we've already won so many challenges, should I talk about voting people off?"

The turtle stepped once.

"He says yes," Rocky said.

Drew fistpumped to himself.

"So what did you have in mind?" Rocky asked.

"Well, that's what I…uh, wanted to, um…talk to you about," Drew said. "Aloysius and, uh…Renada…are like a pair of….um, what's it called…lifesucking mosquitoes…but they're strong like…uh apes…so they're like bloodsucking…um apes…with little mosquito wings."

"Ha, those don't exist, silly," Rocky laughed. "If they did, I would have had talked to one by now."

"It's, uh…an analogy," Drew said.

"Hm, never heard of that species," Rocky said. "Is it, like, from the depths of the ocean or something?"

"Never mind," Drew said. "The point, uh…is we need them for…uh winning challenges…but they keep morale down…At the same time, we've got…uh, people like…what's her face…Yu…"

"Me?" Rocky asked.

"No…the other Yu," Drew said.

"There's another me walking around here somewhere?" Rocky said nervously. "Did I spawn in my sleep or something?"

"Not to my, uh…knowledge," Drew said. "But I wouldn't…uh, rule it out…but I was referring to…uh, the small girl with the…um, red highlights…"

"Oh, you mean Yu," Rocky said. "Why didn't you just say so?"

"I don't know," Drew said, "but she's um…very nice and friendly, but…uh, not the best in challenges…so she's like a, uh…"

Drew stopped before coming up with another metaphor, deciding it might not be a good idea.

"Like a nice person…who's not good at challenges," Drew concluded. "Anyways…my overall, uh…conclusion is that…if we need to vote someone out…it should be someone…who's uh, right in the middle…of the uh, spectrum, you know?"

"No," Rocky said, "but it was nice talking to you anyways. But I promised I'd give a massage to Mr. Hippopotamus."

With that Rocky skipped off happily. Drew just sighed to himself. From a short distance, Betty had spotted them from behind a tree.

"Oh, this is not good at all," she murmured to herself. "Why are my allies always talking amongst themselves and never including me? It's almost like they don't want to talk to me. That's not very ally-like of them at all. Oh my gosh, this has blindside written all over it! I need new allies, stat."

"Hello," Washington said as he came up behind her.

"You need to be my new ally!" Betty exclaimed as she grabbed him and shook him frantically.

"Okay," Washington said meekly.

Betty put him down and said, "Don't blindside me, okay!?"

"Goodbye," Washington said as he gave a short nod and left.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Drew-**I don't think…uh, Rocky…full grasps the whole…uh, gravity of our…situation. She reminds me of…uh, Princess Bellita, who uh…joined the war…only to get in over her heard…except combine that with Lady Dorrea who was…uh bitten by a warg…and uh, gained the ability to…um talk to animals.

**Rocky-**Drew sure has a lot to say. If he wants to think about all that stuff then good for him. But me, I'll just listen to what my animal buddies have to say.

**Betty-**I really need to watch out for signs. If my alliance is gonna blindside me, then I need to flip the script fast…but how do I know if I can trust Washington? (gasps) What if he's in on it!? (gasps again) What if my old allies are planning to use him as my replacement!? I'm so screwed!

**Washington-**(shrugs)

* * *

(Later, The Beach)

The two teams met at the beach where Chris was waiting.

"Welcome, Tough Trees and Ferocious Fields," Chris said. "As you can see, Randall has left us."

"Bout time they cut out that little shrimp," Renada remarked. "Now maybe we can have a worthy battle."

"For this challenge, we're back to rewards," Chris said. "And it's something that I'm sure you're all going to like. Letters from home!"

Chris received a chorus of 'ooh's from both teams.

"Yay, maybe I can finally hear from Daddy again!" Portia exclaimed.

"I can't wait to hear what my friends back home have to say to me," Yu squealed.

"For this challenge, we will be preparing a beach party, but we need some things to be completed first," Chris said. "That's where you come in. Your team will be broken up into three groups, each with a different task to complete. Your tasks include: Sandcastle building, fishing, and preparing a sacrifice for the Gods."

"Sounds like…quite a party," Florence said.

"Well, it's just typical requirements," Chris said. "We need decorations, we need food, and we need to appease the gods so they don't smite us with a tsunami."

"Now, I'll let you get into groups and decide which task you want to complete," Chris said. "Tough Trees, you have nine members so you will have three groups of three. Ferocious Fields, you're down to seven so it'll be two groups of two and one group of three. Your finished products will be graded, and the team with the best two out of three will win the reward."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Mel-**Now to see if we can actually pull off a win, or if this just a plain sucky team.

**Aloysius-**Time to remind everyone just how skilled and effective I can be.

**Portia-**I really hope we win today. I've missed Daddy ever so much, and I'm doing this all for him. I really would like to hear from him again.

**Renada-**Bah, letters, who cares about that? It's not going to help us in any shape or form. But I'm still not intending to lose, it's the principle of the whole thing.

* * *

(Fishing)

Selected for the fishing task on the Tough Trees side were Aloysius, Renada, and Rocky, while the Ferocious Fields had sent up Portia and Marion.

"Don't you try any funny business," Renada said to Aloysius. "I'm watching you."

"I sure hope you don't find anything funny about winning," Aloysius relpied.

Aloysius took off his coat and hung it on a post before diving smoothly into the water.

"Right behind you," Renada said as she dived after.

"I'm coming too," Rocky exclaimed. "Wee!"

"So, you have any idea what we're doing?" Marion asked.

"I did a bit of fishing back at camp," Portia said. "I guess we'll just try to do that out here."

Portia and Marion searched the beach until they found some sharp sticks. They then waded into the lake and tried to spear some of the fish swimming around their legs. However, they weren't having much luck. After several stabs, they still hadn't caught anything.

"Well, this is lame," Marion grumbled.

"I guess lake fish are smarter than the river fish," Portia remarked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Renada-**I'm onto Aloysius and his sneakiness. If he tries anything this round, POW, he's outta here!

**Aloysius-**Fishing really is such a brute labor, but it's the best way to demonstrate my skill again.

**Portia-**My team's really counting on me to carry my weight for this challenge. It may seem like tough odds, but I'm not going to back down now.

**Marion-**I really don't think we've got a chance, considering who we're up against. But on the other hand, that means that the Trees pooled all their strongest members into this one task, and the others might have better luck.

* * *

(Sacrifice)

The Ferocious Fields had selected Mel, Teddy, and Austin for this task, while the Tough Trees had chosen Betty, Florence, and Yu.

"So, a sacrifice?" Florence remarked. "What are we going to do for that?"

"I don't know, but let's have fun with it," Yu said. "We can make something really pretty and creative."

"I'm open to suggestions," Florence said.

"Well, I was thinking we could get some pretty flowers," Yu said. "And maybe some tasty fruit. I'm sure the Gods would like that."

"Okay, let's get to it!" Betty exclaimed. "Don't want to let the other team get ahead!"

Meanwhile, the Ferocious Fields were having a similar discussion.

"Alright, we need to get started," Teddy exclaimed. "What are we gonna do? We need to make this sacrifice like super good, and super winnable, and super sacrificial."

"Let's just get some wood and put a statue together," Mel said. "There simple and easy."

"Won't that be kinda boring?" Teddy asked. "You know, kinda drab, bland, banal."

"Actually," Austin said, "some of these woods can release a type of incense when burnt, which is frequently used to please the good spirits, so if we can find anything like that, then we'll have the perfect sacrifice. But of course, I wouldn't expect you to know anything about that."

"Fine, whatever, let's do that," Teddy said. "But c'mon, we gotta gogogogo!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Yu-**I wanna have a lot of fun with this challenge. I'm going to make my sacrifice all pretty and colourful.

**Austin-**Obviously, I came here with knowledge of all the island's superstitions. As expected, it's come in handy now.

**Mel-**We don't need to anything fancy, we just need to get something simple and practical to get us that win.

* * *

(Sandcastles)

Working on the sandcastles for the Tough Trees were Ferris, Drew, and Washington, while the Ferocious Fields had selected Linus and Brienne. Linus immediately got to the ground and started piling sand.

"Alright, this castle is going to be awesome," he said. "Not just a mere castle, but a fortress of JUSTICE. None shall be able to break its impregnable walls."

After a few minutes of working in the sand, Linus realized that he wasn't getting any help from Brienne. He looked over and saw her relaxing in the sand.

"Um, excuse me," he said. "Mind giving me a hand?"

"Uh, how about no?" Brienne replied. "I'm not here to do work, that's your job. I just took this job so I could work on my gorgeous tan."

"Well, we'll be heading back to the Gazebo of Shame if we lose this," Linus said.

"Then why are you wasting time talking to me when you could be working on that castle?" Brienne replied.

"Fine," Linus grumbled. "I'll do it myself. If I let you touch it, it'd probably end up with spikes and devil horns."

"Oh please, the whole Goth era is so passé for me," Brienne scoffed.

Meanwhile, the Trees were also planning their castle.

"I say we keep it simple," Ferris said. "I'd rather have something plain but solid, than aim too high and end up failing."

"Okay," Washington said.

"Hm…." Drew said, "this castle…should um…be fit for a prince…but be able to withstand…uh, a dragon…and it needs towers…and dungeons…oh, and also…uh, a moat."

"We'll…see what we can do," Ferris said. "The important thing is we just get it started for now."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Linus-**Brienne is only digging her own grave. I can handle this challenge just fine, but she's not earning any favors from me.

**Brienne-**That little twerp just doesn't get it. Why would I have to do his work? He wants to stay in this game, then he needs to earn it. Me, I don't need to worry.

**Ferris-**Drew has a lot of ideas…but I'm not sure if we'll be able to work them all in. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

**Drew-**If we're, uh…making a castle…we might as well…um, you know, give it a story behind it…it would be a pretty sorry castle….if, uh, it didn't have any…um, purpose.

* * *

(Fishing)

Aloysius coursed through the water with easy. He spotted a large fish and dove for it. The fish didn't stand a chance. In an instant, Aloysius had it between his hands. He then rocketed to the surface. Renada arrived shortly after him with a much smaller fish clutched in her hands.

"Cute," Aloysius remarked. "Now be a dear and take this one back to the shore for me."

"What?" Renada scoffed. "You do it."

"You know, for someone who's so concerned about winning, you have a very odd way of going about it," Aloysius said as he handed her his fish and dove back into the water.

"Grrr," Renada growled as she held the fish and started to swim back towards the shore.

"Hey Renada!" Rocky exclaimed as she rode by on a dolphin.

"Get back to work," Renada ordered.

Closer to shore, Marion and Portia were still stabbing furiously into the water. Water had splashed up all over Portia's dress which was soaking wet now. She had caught a few small fish which they had piled on the beach, but it was meager compared to the Tough Trees' pile. Renada dumped the large fish in her own pile which was already three times as big as the other.

"Remind me why we're still trying?" Marion asked.

"We've got to give it a shot," Portia said. "You never know what to expect."

"I'm pretty sure we can expect to lose," Marion said. "But whatever."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Aloysius-**I don't think Renada cares so much about winning as she does getting in my face. She'd love to lose if it meant she could bring me down. Too bad that's never happening.

**Renada-**I can't argue with results…and that pisses me off!

**Portia-**There have been last minute turnarounds before. We just need to keep trying and hope for the best…hope for a miracle.

**Marion-**Good thing this isn't an immunity challenge, because this is not going well for us.

* * *

(Sacrifice)

"Okay, flowers, flower, flowers!" Betty said as she looked in all directions. "Do you see any!?"

"Well," Florence said, "there's a patch of pink ones over there."

"I'm on it!" Betty exclaimed as she ran in the direction Florence was pointing.

However, she ran right over the patch and ended up trampling the flowers.

"Oh…uh…sorry, I really didn't mean to do that," Betty exclaimed nervously.

"I'm sure we can still use…some of them," Florence said as he tried to pick up a few of the still solid flowers.

"Don't worry, I'll find more!" Betty promised.

"Yeah, you do that," Florence said. "I'm just gonna look…over in the other direction."

Not too far away, Austin and Teddy were collecting pieces of woods. Both of them had piles under their arms.

"Oh here's one…here's one…ooh, and here's another one," Teddy exclaimed as he snapped branches off trees.

"No, no, no," Austin tutted as he grabbed a stick from Teddy. "What is this?"

"A twig," Teddy answered, "a branch, a stick."

"Did you not hear anything I told you?" Austin said as he bopped Teddy on the head with the stick. "We can't just take any kind of wood. It would be sacrilege."

"It thought we were looking for sacrifices," Teddy replied in confusion.

"Just follow my lead, okay," Austin said.

"You got it," Teddy said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Florence-**Betty is well-intentioned, but she gets a bit carried away. I just hope she does harm our chances at winning.

**Betty-**My alliance can't backstab me if I win challenges! Haha, I've found a loophole in their insidious plot…now I just have to…actually do that.

**Austin-**This is my domain, and I intend to do it right.

* * *

(Sandcastle)

Linus was busily working at his castle. He packed sand together as he tried to form it into a building.

"Yes, this is looking superb," Linus complimented himself as he worked. "The turrets will go here…and the sentries shall be stationed here…"

"Wow, that looks dreadful," Brienne remarked.

"I did not ask for your opinion," Linus replied bitterly.

"That looks nothing like a castle, it looks like a hideous blob," Brienne said. "And what are all these bumps?"

"They're ridges," Linus said defensively.

"I don't think so," Brienne scoffed. "Start over. And make it good this time."

"Well, you don't exactly have a right to complain considering you haven't done anything to help," Linus protested.

"I'm helping right now," Brienne said taking offense. "I'm giving you my valued opinion. We'd be screwed if you didn't have me as your supervisor. Now chop, chop, get to it."

Linus growled to himself as he turned away from Brienne and continued to work on the castle furiously. Over on the other side, Ferris was also working on the castle. She was taking a delicate approach, trying to make the castle defined and detailed.

"Here are those shells you wanted," Washington said as he handed her a handful of seashells.

"Thank you," Ferris said. "These will look nicely on the front wall."

"So…it's a castle for a…uh, mermaid, then?" Drew asked. "I'm just saying…cause, uh…it doesn't really make sense to have…uh, something like that on…um, a human castle."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Ferris said.

"Then it really should….uh, be underwater," Drew said. "Cause, uh…mermaids can't really…um, live…on land."

"Well, I'm afraid that wouldn't be practical," Ferris said. "Because then our castle would dissolve."

"True," Drew noted, "but uh…maybe we could put, uh…an underwater chamber…like a pool…in the base of the castle."

"That sounds complicated," Ferris said. "I'd rather just focus on getting this done before we worry about any additions."

"I can do it," Drew said. "I'll just get us some…uh, water…and you'll see."

Ferris just sighed to herself as Drew headed to the lake to gather water.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Brienne-**Linus is just making a very good case for why he needs to go next. He is nowhere near a team player, and really, why should we keep someone like that?

**Ferris-**Drew seriously needs to get a better grasp on reality. He's so up in the clouds all the time, he doesn't seem to realize what's really important.

**Drew-**I just want our castle to be…uh, realistic, you know. If we had a mermaid castle with…uh, no water…well, that would be uh…an instant fail…in my books.

* * *

(Fishing)

"Take this!" Marion exclaimed as he jabbed into the water.

He pulled his spear up and revealed a large fish.

"Wow, nicely done," Portia said. "We might just be catching up."

Marion walked back to the pile and tossed the fish in. They still weren't at the same level as the Tough Trees, but they had managed to speed up on catching fish. Suddenly, a large orca whale emerged from the water and coughed up an enormous pile of dead fish on top of the Tough Trees' pile.

"Thanks a bunch, Mr. Whale," Rocky exclaimed. "You've been a great help."

"You were saying?" Marion remarked to Portia.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**Well, it's all up to the others now, because we are not winning this challenge.

**Rocky-**Yay, just call me MVP.

**Aloysius-**How dare I be outshone by an aquatic mammal?! This certainly will not stand.

* * *

(Sacrifices)

Florence was picking some orchids and had collected a colourful bouquet.

"This will look nice," he said to himself.

He then looked across the ground and spotted something sticking out.

"Is that what I think it is?" he said as he went over to investigate.

He cleared the bushes and found some pineapples growing in the ground.

"It is," he exclaimed. "Pineapples. These will go great with our sacrifice."

"Ooooh Flooooorence!" Betty exclaimed as she came running back. "Look what I found!"

She opened her palms to reveal some dripping red liquid.

"Um…jam?" Florence asked.

"Oh no!" Betty cried. "It was supposed to be berries! I must have crushed them in my hands! I am so stupid, and useless, why am I doing this!?"

Betty began to slam her head against a tree, but Florence pulled her back.

"Hey, look, it's fine," he said. "We've got flowers, and I found some fruit here. We've got everything we need."

"Oh, haha, silly me," Betty said. "Want me to carry something?"

"Uh…no," Florence answered.

Teddy and Austin meanwhile had both gathered up a couple large piles of red wood.

"This will do nicely," Austin said. "The spirits will be most appeased."

"Kay then, whatever you say," Teddy said as they returned to Mel.

"Took you long enough," Mel grumbled. "Alright, leave it to me now to make something out of all this."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Betty-**Okay, so I didn't really do anything…at all…wow this plan was an utter failure. Note to self…stop failing.

**Mel-**I don't know what Austin is jabbering about spirits and all that crap, but as long as I can make something that'll long decent, we have a shot at this challenge.

* * *

(Sandcastles)

Linus was putting the final touches on his castle. He added a twig with a leaf attached to it as a makeshift flag.

"There, perfection!" Linus exclaimed.

"Is today opposite day?" Brienne said. "Because if so, that is the exact definition I'd give to your castle."

The castle still looked crude and uneven.

"Shut up!" Linus snapped. "It looks fine."

"No, if it looked fine it wouldn't make me want to barf," Brienne replied. "You should have taken my advice and stopped sucking when I told you to."

"It's beautiful!" Linus argued. "You're just crazy!"

Ferris meanwhile had made a much neater castle. She had smoothed out each detail, and the castle could clearly be made out.

"We're back," Drew said as he and Washington arrived with a pile of various objects.

"I thought you were just getting water," Ferris said.

"Yeah, but…I had, uh…some other ideas," Drew said. "Like this rock…"

Washington placed the rock in from of the castle.

"Is…uh, where…Princess Monaka first met…uh, her pet…Sea Unicorn," Drew said. "And this…uh, algae…can be…uh, the cursed swamp…where are…the evil advisor…drowned…and uh, continues to haunt."

"Okay, okay, fine," Ferris said as Washington placed the algae behind the castle.

"And lastly…uh, here's the water," Drew said as he held up a large seashell fell out of water. "I'll, uh…just make a pool…right here."

However, Drew let the shell slip out of his hands and spilled water all over the side of the castle.

"Errg," Ferris groaned in frustration as her project crumbled and fell apart on that side. "That's exactly what I was afraid of."

"It's uh…okay…we can just…uh, add some more story to it," Drew said. "Like…maybe they, uh…lost a war…against the nefarious…crab folk."

"But it doesn't even look like a castle anymore," Ferris sighed. "It's just a mess."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**This is exactly what I wanted to avoid, but would Drew listen? No, of course not, he's too dazed and confused to even know where he is.

**Linus-**My castle is a masterpiece. Brienne doesn't have a degree in Art Criticism so her opinion means nothing to me. She's also evil which was a deal breaker from the start.

* * *

(Later)

The sun was just beginning to set as Chris called everyone to return.

"That's time everyone," Chris announced. "Let's see what you've got."

Everyone grouped up in the center of the beach again, everyone sporting difference expression based on their current expectations.

"Let's start with the fish, our meal of the day," Chris said.

He walked up to the two piles and immediately saw that one was mountains above the other.

"No question here," Chris said. "Tough Trees, you win the first point."

"Duh," Renada remarked.

"Well, we tried," Portia said to Marion.

"Great lot of good that did us," Marion replied.

"Next up," Chris said. "The sacrifices."

Mel preferred her monument made of wood. It was a pyramid made up of several spike protruding outwards.

"Hm, very nice, very interesting," Chris said. "And next."

Yu displayed a ring of colourful flowers with a pile of pineapples arranged into the center.

"Isn't it just so pretty?" she exclaimed. "It was a lot of fun to make."

"Also nice," Chris said. "But now for the moment of truth. Since this is a sacrifice, the true test is to see if the Gods will accept it."

Chris pulled out a lighter and lit up torch. He placed it against Mel's monument. It lit up nicely and made a roaring fire, all while letting off a sweet scent.

"Very nice," Chris said. "Your turn, Trees."

"Wait, you can't burn it!" Yu exclaimed. "I worked hard to make it pretty."

"Well, clearly you don't understand the purpose of a sacrifice," Chris said as he tried to burn the pineapples.

The fruits just ended up melting together slightly.

"Not quite as impressive," Chris said. "Point goes to…Ferocious Fields, we're tied now."

Chris then walked up to the sandcastles.

"Okay, what do we have here?" Chris said as he inspected the castles.

He eyed Linus's castle.

"Hm, a little crude, a little plain, but the intention is clear," he said as he then walked over to Ferris's castle. "Hm, sort of a wreck here, don't you think…I can see some good potential on this side, but the rest is just a mess."

Ferris just sighed.

"The final point," Chris said, "goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

"The Ferocious Fields!"

The team erupted into victorious cheers.

"We did it, we actually won!" Portia exclaimed as she hugged Marion.

"Please don't do that," Marion said as he pushed her aside.

"High-fives all around!" Teddy exclaimed as he held his hands up.

Austin reluctantly returned the gesture.

"Congratulations, guys, you have broken your losing streak," Chris said. "And for you win, you will be rewarded letters from your loved ones."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Mel-**Ha, took long enough. But it just goes to show how we're better off without Randall.

**Betty-**I sure hope I'm not blamed for this…oh who am I kidding, of course I will be!

**Portia-**Oh this feels so good. There's still hope for us.

**Aloysius-**Ack, I cannot stand the taste of irony in my mouth. Today has been nothing but a failure for me.

**Brienne-**Good thing I was here to point out what was wrong with that castle. The way I see it, the team owes me for this victory.

**Ferris-**We almost had this. If my castle had been done the way I wanted, I have no doubt, we would have won.

* * *

(Ferocious Fields Camp)

Everyone happily returned to their camp with their letters in hand.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Portia squealed. "I can't wait to see what everyone has to say."

"Yeah, this is great, stupendous, super-duper-uber cool!" Teddy exclaimed. "Let's just read them right now, come on, all together, open'em up!"

Once everyone was settled they started to open up their letters and read them aloud.

"Aw, mine's from Daddy," Portia said with tears in her eyes. "He says he's so proud of me for getting on the show and lasting this far. I won't let you down, Daddy, I promise!"

"Let's see," Linus said as he opened his letter, "Ooh, it's from my pals back at school, 'Dear Linus, hope you're having fun, and you're able to bring home the million. Just be sure to go easy on the kids out there, if you're treating this as seriously as you treat your hall monitor duties…well, just stay chill and you'll be fine.' Aw, how cute."

"Mine's from Ma," Marion said. "'Dear Marion, I trust that you are already well on your way to winning the million dollars. You'd better be, because I've already started spending as if you've won.' Eek, that's incentive."

"Ooh, I got fanmail," Brienne said. "Dear Brienne, you are fabulous, gorgeous, genius, and clearly the best player on the show. You've got it in the bag, and if you don't win, the world will mourn at the greatest injustice in history. Sincerely, Brienne.'"

"She…has the same name as you?" Marion asked.

"No, dummy," Brienne scoffed. "I wrote myself a letter. Because only I know exactly the kinds of things I deserve to hear."

"I got one from my therapist," Mel said. "Dear Mel, I hope this game isn't too stressing for you. Just remember to always think before you speak, so you don't say things you regret. I'm sure you'll make plenty of progress and make lots of friends if you just try to keep your temper in check,' blah, blah, blah, what does she know?"

Mel tossed the letter into the fire.

"Ooh, this one's from The curator of the Museum of Paranormal Activity," Austin announced. "Dear Austin, I hope that you're expedition is going well. The museum is in dire need of a new find to boost popularity, so anything you could bring back would be much appreciated. A fossil, a photo, anything.' Yeah, he's a little eccentric when it comes to this kind of thing."

"You don't say," Mel remarked as she eyed Austin.

"I got one from my dog," Teddy announced.

"Oh, how—wait, your dog sent you a letter?" Portia asked.

"Yep, he sent me a bone," Teddy said as he held up the dog snack. "It's nice to know he cares about me."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Portia-**I think winning this reward was a huge morale booster for all of us. We got to hear from home, and we know that it is still possible for us to win.

**Marion-**Hearing from Ma has just inspired me even more to win. I'm bringing that money home and I won't let anyone stop me.

**Teddy-**It was so nice getting to hear about everyone's homelife, I'm sure they've all got a lot of totally awesome friends supporting them back home!

* * *

(Tough Trees)

"Well, I certainly hope you're not planning on pinning this blame on me," Aloysius remarked to Renada.

"We still shouldn't have lost," Renada grunted. "That challenge was simple, where did we go wrong?"

Betty twitched her fingers anxiously as she pointed with her eyes at Washington.

"It was no one's fault," Florence insisted. "Just an off day for us."

"Well, we'd better not have another one," Renada said. "Because if we lose tomorrow, another one of you is going home."

Ferris and Yu were talking among themselves, distanced from the main camp.

"I almost had it," Ferris sighed. "We could be reading letters from home right now. If Drew had just listened to me and been more careful."

"Aw, you shouldn't point fingers," Yu said. "I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"No, I know," Ferris sighed. "It's just frustrating is all. I really don't want us to have to lose again, but that means that everyone needs to really take this game seriously."

Meanwhile, at another distance, Drew was talking with Rocky.

"So, what's on your mind, sport?" Rocky asked.

"Just thinking…thinking…" Drew muttered to himself. "Ferris is…uh, rather sour…not great for team spirit."

"Nope, I guess not," Rocky said.

"And she's not our…uh, strongest asset," Drew said. "Perhaps…um, we'll need to…um, say farewell to her soon."

"Not if we keep winning, m'kay," Rocky said. "We just need to rebound, and we can do it!"

"Maybe…maybe…" Drew said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ferris-**Drew is lucky this wasn't an immunity challenge. Since no one is thinking ahead on this team, they're going to jump on the person who is easiest to blame, and today that was him.

**Drew-**Eliminating Ferris…would, uh, be…the best route for the…uh time being…She will not…uh be missed.

**Rocky-**Why are people getting all tangled up about things like voting now? We just need to keep our minds focused on winning the next challenge.

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"Here monkeys, monkeys, monkeys," Pedro beckoned as he and Randall trekked through the jungle. "We don't want to hurt you...just paying a friendly visit."

Randall clung behind Pedro nervously.

"Look, I think I saw something move over there," Pedro said.

The two boys followed the movement until they arrived at the same ruined terrain that Sandy had visited. They soon spotted the horde of monkeys, as well as the fat king wearing the necklace. As the boys approached them, every beady eyes turned to stare at them.

"Uh...we come in peace," Pedro said.

A moment of silence...then the king howled and the monkeys turned vicious.

"Never mind, run!" Pedro cried as he frantically ran back the way he had come.

**Confessional:**

**Pedro-**Today's life lesson: Never underestimate a monkey.

Back at the shelter, Sandy had gotten up from her day of resting. She paced around the beach aimlessly. As she did, she spotted Pedro's notebook.

"Hm, what have you been working on, Pedro?" she remarked as she picked it up.

She flipped through the pages and saw notes on several of the traps inside the temple.

"Oh my...this is quite the breakthrough," she breathed. "According to these notes...I should be able to open the temple...like so..."

She pulled the lever and watched as the door opened.

"Ah!" she exclaimed. "It worked."

Curiously, she stepped into the temple.

"And it says," she continued to read, "that there should be a trap...right...he-Aaaaah!"

She plummeted down the slope and into the darkness.

**Confessional:**

**Sandy-**I'm back in this, baby!

* * *

(Conclusion)

Chris stood at the Gazebo of Shame as the camera zoomed in on him.

"And so we say goodnight for another day of Total Drama Strandarama," he wrapped up. "Will the Ferocious Fields' comeback continue, or was today just a fluke? How will the deadlock by solved, which side will Mel pick, if any? And are sides already forming on the Tough Trees? Aloysius and Renada…Drew and Ferris…Betty and…well, everyone to her at least. How will these conflicts unfold? Find out on the next episode of…Total…Drama…Strandarama!"

**Teams:**

Ferocious Fields:

_Karly-The Natural Leader_

Marion-The Sadistic Strategist

Brienne-The Narcissus

_Sandy-The "Nice" Girl_

Portia-The Aristocrat

Linus-The Warrior of JUSTICE

Teddy-The Parakeet

_Randall-The Epic Fail_

Austin-The Paranormal Fan

Mel-The Loudmouthed Complainer

Tough Trees:

_Pedro-The Businessman_

Rocky-The Animal Whisperer

Drew-The Daydreamer

Florence-The Chill Guy

Betty-The Over-Thinker

Washington-The Nobody

Ferris-The Loner

Aloysius-The Badass in a Suit

Renada-The Dumb Muscle

Yu-The Ray of Sunshine

**Not Quite Loser Island: **Sandy, Pedro, Karly, Randall

_Author's Note: Not much to say this time, but I feel like the plot is really start to move along nicely. I hope I can keep the flow up and continue to update consistently._


End file.
